Sleeping in Space

The views from space are stunning, but astronauts live in cramped accommoda­tion. There are two small crew cabins— each is only big enough for one person. Each cabin contains a sleeping bag and has a large window through which the occupant can enjoy the view of Earth while off duty. In space, there is no up or down and no gravity. The weightless astronauts on the ISS can sleep right way up or upside down as they wish.

Space station crews usually bed down inside the sleeping bag. If all three ISS astronauts are sleeping, the third member of the crew can sleep anywhere, as long as the sleep­ing bag is fastened to the floor or wall

О Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, commander of ISS Expedition Nine, juggles with fruit in the Zvezda service module.

of the crew compartment. No one wants to float around while they are asleep.

Astronauts onboard the space station get into a routine of an 8-hour sleep period at the end of each mission day. Some astronauts report difficulty in sleeping, either because of excitement during the first days of a mission or due to the space sickness that some people suffer. As a space vehicle moves in Earth orbit, the Sun rises about every 90 min­utes! Glaring sunlight shining through a window can disturb sleepers unless they wear a sleep mask.

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