15 questions to be asked to Sunita Williams
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◇ What is it like to be floating in space?
And yes, I too thought of it as “flying around” initially. Sort of like a bird without having to flap your wings. We just push off something and go. You need your hands to guide you so you don’t hit things - though we do anyway as we go from one end of the Space Station to the other. However, now I think of floating a little more like being a fish.
How does gravity work?
there is no gravity up here to speak of, so nothing pulls us down to the “floor” like it does on Earth. Gravity, the force that holds things onto the planet gets weaker and weaker as we go further and further away from the center of the Earth. There is still some gravity where we are and even as far out as our moon
What do the planets look like from outer space?
Planets look about the same here as they do to you on the Earth because we really aren’t that much closer. Our home, the International Space Station orbits around the Earth at about 200 miles.
Do you see the Milky Way?
We see the Milky Way just like you can see the Miky Way on Earth. Like the question above, we aren’t a lot closer to it than you are, so we can both see probably just as well as you can see it.
How do you type your e-mails?
Does it feel weird when you are floating?
It takes a while to get used to for sure. At first we were all bumping into things and flying around out of control. We were also losing a lot of things, because they just float away. But I’ve gotten used to it now
Have you been on any of the planets?
No, not yet. Hopefully in the future we will be going back to the moon and then on to Mars.
Do you prefer to be in space or on Earth?
After being here for about 3 months, I have really come to love living up here. However, each time I look out the window and see our beautiful planet, I think about all the places I haven’t been to or seen on the planet and want to rush back to go there. I also miss my family .
Are you scared?
Sometimes, when there are strange noises on the Station. It is a machine, so we generally hear pumps moving, air flowing, computer noises - just like on a ship. However, every now and then there are little weird noises and I wonder what it is. I don’t know, but sometimes I think about what would happen if we got hit with a meteorite - how would the protective covering on the outside Station work.
Have you discovered any new planets?
Unfortunately not so far. We have pretty good binoculars and camera lenses, however, we haven’t been able to see any further than folks on Earth have been. We need our large telescopes and smaller spacecraft which are traveling throughout our galaxy to see new planets.
How do you type your e-mails?
We have computers up here connected to a network. So, we type e-mails just like you do at home. Mission Control in Houston receives our e-mails through a satellite and then sends them out to our family and friends. Likewise, any e-mails written to us go through the Mission Control and then they send them up to us via a satellite.
How do you get and store the oxygen you need? How much oxygen do you need for a spacewalk?
We have oxygen shipped up to us in the Space Shuttle and also in a Russian spacecraft called a Progress. We have tanks which we store oxygen on the Station once it is transferred from these spacecraft.
We also make oxygen from water using a machine called Elektron.
What would fire look like in microgravity?
I don't know personally, but I do know we have done some experiments on fire. I would think it would be different from the way a flame burns on the ground, but I am not sure. We'll have to get the experts to find out.
Is there a way that you received nourishment during your 6- to 7-hour EVA?
Not really when we are outside. We have a drink bag inside the suit, so we have water, but no food. Same is true for the Russian suit. We generally try to eat a good dinner the night before and have a good breakfast that morning. We are pretty hungry when we come back in.
How could you work straight through so many hours without a break?
We do take some breaks out there. We take a little rest and take pictures, or just take a break. The work isn't strenuous all the time, just at times. Moving around is really pretty effortless. When you are trying to move something, like a valve or manipulate a tool, that can be difficult. We have a tethers and a semi rigid ball-stack, we call a BRT, body restraint tether.
What do you eat in space? How do you cook your food in space? What does it taste like?
Our food is half Russian and half American. Some of it is dehydrated and some of it is ready to eat. All we really do it hydrate food and heat it up.
On the American side we have everything from macaroni and cheese to beef enchiladas, and crawfish etouffee. All of this type of food is in a package and just needs to be heated up in the oven. There is a lot of variety even in the desserts which include things like candy, pudding, fruit cocktail and cookies.
HOPE IT HELPS U
And yes, I too thought of it as “flying around” initially. Sort of like a bird without having to flap your wings. We just push off something and go. You need your hands to guide you so you don’t hit things - though we do anyway as we go from one end of the Space Station to the other. However, now I think of floating a little more like being a fish.
How does gravity work?
there is no gravity up here to speak of, so nothing pulls us down to the “floor” like it does on Earth. Gravity, the force that holds things onto the planet gets weaker and weaker as we go further and further away from the center of the Earth. There is still some gravity where we are and even as far out as our moon
What do the planets look like from outer space?
Planets look about the same here as they do to you on the Earth because we really aren’t that much closer. Our home, the International Space Station orbits around the Earth at about 200 miles.
Do you see the Milky Way?
We see the Milky Way just like you can see the Miky Way on Earth. Like the question above, we aren’t a lot closer to it than you are, so we can both see probably just as well as you can see it.
How do you type your e-mails?
Does it feel weird when you are floating?
It takes a while to get used to for sure. At first we were all bumping into things and flying around out of control. We were also losing a lot of things, because they just float away. But I’ve gotten used to it now
Have you been on any of the planets?
No, not yet. Hopefully in the future we will be going back to the moon and then on to Mars.
Do you prefer to be in space or on Earth?
After being here for about 3 months, I have really come to love living up here. However, each time I look out the window and see our beautiful planet, I think about all the places I haven’t been to or seen on the planet and want to rush back to go there. I also miss my family .
Are you scared?
Sometimes, when there are strange noises on the Station. It is a machine, so we generally hear pumps moving, air flowing, computer noises - just like on a ship. However, every now and then there are little weird noises and I wonder what it is. I don’t know, but sometimes I think about what would happen if we got hit with a meteorite - how would the protective covering on the outside Station work.
Have you discovered any new planets?
Unfortunately not so far. We have pretty good binoculars and camera lenses, however, we haven’t been able to see any further than folks on Earth have been. We need our large telescopes and smaller spacecraft which are traveling throughout our galaxy to see new planets.
How do you type your e-mails?
We have computers up here connected to a network. So, we type e-mails just like you do at home. Mission Control in Houston receives our e-mails through a satellite and then sends them out to our family and friends. Likewise, any e-mails written to us go through the Mission Control and then they send them up to us via a satellite.
How do you get and store the oxygen you need? How much oxygen do you need for a spacewalk?
We have oxygen shipped up to us in the Space Shuttle and also in a Russian spacecraft called a Progress. We have tanks which we store oxygen on the Station once it is transferred from these spacecraft.
We also make oxygen from water using a machine called Elektron.
What would fire look like in microgravity?
I don't know personally, but I do know we have done some experiments on fire. I would think it would be different from the way a flame burns on the ground, but I am not sure. We'll have to get the experts to find out.
Is there a way that you received nourishment during your 6- to 7-hour EVA?
Not really when we are outside. We have a drink bag inside the suit, so we have water, but no food. Same is true for the Russian suit. We generally try to eat a good dinner the night before and have a good breakfast that morning. We are pretty hungry when we come back in.
How could you work straight through so many hours without a break?
We do take some breaks out there. We take a little rest and take pictures, or just take a break. The work isn't strenuous all the time, just at times. Moving around is really pretty effortless. When you are trying to move something, like a valve or manipulate a tool, that can be difficult. We have a tethers and a semi rigid ball-stack, we call a BRT, body restraint tether.
What do you eat in space? How do you cook your food in space? What does it taste like?
Our food is half Russian and half American. Some of it is dehydrated and some of it is ready to eat. All we really do it hydrate food and heat it up.
On the American side we have everything from macaroni and cheese to beef enchiladas, and crawfish etouffee. All of this type of food is in a package and just needs to be heated up in the oven. There is a lot of variety even in the desserts which include things like candy, pudding, fruit cocktail and cookies.
HOPE IT HELPS U
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