How astronauts deal with the boring parts of being in space

Is there any training for NASA or anywhere else like that?

There are analogies to the space station and modules to prepare you for handling things. You will see how you will do the so-called ordinary things you will do in space. And when it comes to knowing how you’re going to do these things in space, there are parabolic flights that you do, where you feel weightless for 25 seconds at a time.

But we never take weightless training to do other things, such as brushing our teeth. So you really have to guess, make that connection from zero-G workout to work and live in space. And I think most people make that transition pretty quickly. People will have to invent these things. I think after seeing the environment you’re in and having zero-G training, you have this exercise to think about how you do microgravity. And I think that’s the people who get it really fast, because you’ve done it from the display.

That’s one of the reasons we’re talking about this Tide has just announced a new partnership with NASA to develop and test detergents that could be used to clean items in low-water environments. Astronauts may eventually be able to wash clothes in space. They seem like small things, but why do they care about astronauts and future space travel?

We throw clothes in space because we don’t wash them. When we finally go on lunar or Martian missions or one day we are even farther away, we won’t be able to throw anything away. We will have to reuse everything. And I think that’s critical to exploration. Washing clothes seems mundane, but it’s life. It is essential for the future of exploration. Or we won’t have enough clothes to exercise, practice and do our job.

There are plenty of new opportunities for civilians to move into space. How do you anticipate the evolution and transformation of astronaut training to accommodate these types of people? What can new technologies like VR do?

There is a company called Star Harbor Space Academy that wants to find a Natural Buoyancy Laboratory to train people in space, along with zero G flights in airplane, robotics and even VR. I mean, what if it was a VR suit that would give you sensations of touch, smell, temperature, all the senses that need to move you because of what you’re perceiving as a space experience? If you’re taking a space walk and you’re going out with this suit, open the door and feel the sun be there. It’s 250 degrees Fahrenheit, right? This immersive experience would be a great tool to help train people.

Do you have any important tips for civilians who will be on these missions?

Self-care before group care: You should take care of your belongings first, before you try to help someone else. All that will happen is that you have to go to work on the robotic arm when you finish someone or on tasks like that. But all of a sudden, you’re worried, “Hey, did I put my shirts in here? Did I get the right thing I needed? Have I done all my stuff? “So take care of your personal space, your equipment, your hygiene and these things as soon as possible. And then if you can help someone, do it then.

The other thing is to display. I would close my eyes and say, “Okay, I’m moving from the space shuttle from the hatch to the space station. I’m rotating around 180 degrees … ”It’s like what we used to do when we were playing football: we would do all this paper exercise doing the route, catching the ball, doing the touchdown. You can do the same thing in space to do something like work on a robotic arm: “I’m pulling out a translational manual controller, and I’m loading the load the way I’m moving it …” And I think that’s civilians. they should start doing the coming.