By Sakshi Sah
Published Jun 24, 2025

Hindustan Times
Trending

Photo Credit: NASA

What it’s really like to live and work in space

The more we explore space, the more we learn about ourselves. Let’s look at what daily life is like for astronauts on missions.

Astronauts see a sunrise every 90 minutes. But this, along with zero gravity, can affect their health and mood. They deal with motion sickness, loneliness and must be ready for medical issues.

There are no new germs in space-only the ones astronauts bring. But zero gravity pushes body fluids up, making them feel like they’ve got a cold all the time.

The space shuttle has three decks. The middeck is the main living space. It has beds, a toilet, oven, washbasin, lockers and even a small galley.

Where astronauts live

On the ISS, astronauts live mostly in the Zvezda Module. It has a kitchen table, fridge, toilet, washbasin, sleeping cabin, gym gear and more space-though much of it is used for science experiments.

The space station has two small sleeping cabins. If a third person joins, they can sleep anywhere as long as they attach their sleeping bag to the wall.

Astronauts use a special internet phone called Softphone.

Calling home from space

Astronauts work 16 hours a day and are on call all the time.

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