The Final Frontier

Learn about:

Our Solar System

A Star is Born

Beyond the Milky Way

Space Travel

Life in Space

Technological Advances

ENTER

Destiny Laboratory

Zarya Control Module

Zvezda Service Module

Soyuz

International Space StationRoll the cursor over the space station and the labels to learn more.

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Eating Out

Some foods can be eaten in their natural form, such as brownies and fruit. Other foods require adding water, such as macaroni and cheese or spaghetti. Of course, an oven is provided in the space shuttle and the space station to heat foods to the proper temperature. There are no refrigerators in space, so space food must be stored and prepared properly to avoid spoilage, especially on longer missions.

Astronauts eat three meals a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nutritionists ensure the food they eat provides them with a balanced supply of vitamins and minerals.

Astronauts eating in space

Return to space station

Sleeping in SpaceIn space there is no up or down and there is no gravity. As a result, astronauts are weightless and can sleep in any orientation. However, they have to attach themselves to a wall, a seat or a bunk bed inside the crew cabin so they don't float around and bump into something.

On the space station there are two small crew cabins. Each one is just big enough for one person. Inside both crew cabins is a sleeping bag and a large window to look out in space. Currently, space station crews have three astronauts living and working in space for months at a time. Where does the third astronaut sleep? If it's okay with the commander, the astronaut can sleep anywhere in the space station so long as they attach themselves to something

Time to Rise and Shine

Astronaut Paul W. Richards, STS-102 mission specialist, is pictured in the Zvezda service module in front of one of the sleep stations.

When it is time to wake up, the Mission Control Centre in Houston, Texas, sends wake up music to the crew. Usually, Mission Control will pick a song for a different astronaut each day. Sometimes a family member will request a favourite song for their particular loved one. Depending on the astronaut, Mission Control will play all types of music such as rock and roll, country and western, classical, or Russian music. However, only a shuttle crew receives wake up music while a space station crew uses an alarm clock.

Crew wake up call,

Flight Day 9

Return to space station

Our Solar System

“To infinity and beyond”

Click on a planet to learn more

In this sample, click on Mars