To Infinity And Beyond!
Until very recently humans have been earth-bound and unable to reach the clouds — let alone the stars! But within the last century mankind has developed the technology to travel deep into the recesses of space, and we’re still going. For years space travel was reserved for only highly trained astronauts due to the dangerous nature of missions, but NASA and other space programs across the globe have made many technological advances making space tourism a reality for any civilian trying to reach the stars.
Before grabbing an astronaut application, you should probably learn some of the facts about space travel that are essential to any aspiring cosmonaut…
NASA via Getty Images
Check out our guide to space travel before blasting off into the cosmos!
Microgravity Training
Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Space is a harsh environment such as the whole no-gravity/oxygen and freezing temperatures thing, but once you get used to it, it ain’t that bad! That’s why a huge part of astronaut training aims to prepare travelers for these conditions using some pretty advanced technology. For example, astronauts practicing for space walks are trained underwater using the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), which simulates the conditions of zero-gravity. The NBL is basically just a giant swimming pool approximately 40 feet deep and containing 6.2 million gallons of water that can house full size replicas of the space crafts the trainees will eventually be working on. The astronauts must suit up and practice moving large objects carefully and ensuring that they don’t float away…
Vomit Comet
Even performing everyday tasks in a zero-gravity setting can be extremely difficult. The KC-135 (AKA the Weightless Wonder of Vomit Comet) is a plane that provides about 20-25 seconds of no gravity, allowing astronauts to feel the effect of weightlessness and practice performing various activities. Unfortunately, even the most experienced space travelers sometimes feel nauseated when the plane begins it’s free-fall, hence the aircraft’s nickname. And yes, that is Kate Upton in the Weightless Wonder.
Space SMELLS
The first thing astronauts tend to notice upon entering space is it’s unique scent. Space travelers have reported that it smells like seared steak, hot metal, and welding fumes. The odor is mostly a by-product of dying stars whose combustion creates smelly compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These stinky molecules are all over the universe and never really disappear. While it’s impossible to get an actual whiff of space ‘air,’ the scent molecules stick to just about everything, including space suits, so astronauts smell especially pungent after a trip outside the shuttle. NASA even commissioned fragrance maker Omega Ingredients to re-create the odor for its training simulations. That means now they have the scent of the moon and outer space bottled!
Space SMELLS (Part II)
While the cosmos may smell like a barbecue at a NASCAR race, conditions inside the space craft aren’t always so pleasant. As you can see in the GIF above, water (or any liquid) acts pretty strange when there’s no gravity to keep it under control, making showering and bathing nearly impossible. The International Space Station’s living quarters consist of one 74 meter long tube, about the size of 1.5 Boeing 747s, with a permanent crew of six, so it can get pretty cramped. As many astronauts forgo showering in favor of moist towelettes, it can get pretty stinky pretty fast.
No Flavor For You!
OSAKA, JAPAN: Japan’s food maker Nissin food products unveils the instant noodles for astronauts “Space Ram” during a press conference at the company’s Instant Noodle Museum in Osaka 27 July 2005. Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi brought with her the first “space noodle” aboard Space Shuttle Discovery 26 July. Credit: “Space Noodles” Credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images
The sense of taste relies heavily on the sense of smell, so as scents become more and more faint, astronauts report that food begins to taste more and more like cardboard.
Space Lightning Exists
Credit: BigStockPhoto
Huge lightning bolts (and we’re talkin’ twice-as-long-as-the-Milky-Way-huge) are a real thing in space. These crazy electrical currents are caused by black holes that create ridiculously strong magnetic fields that, in turn, generate insane amounts of electricity. The largest “storm” was discovered by scientists near galaxy 3C303, about 2 billion lightyears away. Despite its distance from our planet, the powerful current was detected due to lightning bolts reaching as far as 150,000 light years into space, each with the force equal to that of a trillion bolts here on earth.
Don’t cry!
Credit: BigStockPhoto
While you may be homesick for your friends and family back on earth, hungry for a home-cooked meal, or your eyes may be watering from the stench of one of your space comrades, tears are not a good idea in space. As there’s no gravity to make them fall, your tears will simply pool around your eyeballs making it nearly impossible to see.
Your Feet’s Skin Peels Off!
Credit: BigStockPhoto
If you’re going to risk tears for anything, let it be this. Since your feet aren’t being used to walk on, the hard skin begins to soften and eventually flakes off. As laundry services are not an option in space, astronauts will often wear the same socks for days. They must be extremely careful when shedding their socks, however, unless they want their dead skin cells floating around for the rest of the mission. If you think about it, it’s kind of like a space pedicure.
Space Makes You Look Younger
Credit: BigStockPhoto
Now for some good news: when you’re in space, your wrinkles disappear! Since there is no gravity to keep them in place, bodily fluids that are settled on earth redistribute themselves to higher regions. This shift of fluids gives astronauts skinny chicken legs and slightly bloated faces, making it appear as if wrinkles have simply melted away. Unfortunately this is only temporary, so be prepared to take plenty of selfies while you’re looking extra good!
Space Makes You Taller
Credit: BigStockPhoto
Due to the lack of gravity in outer space, your vertebrae begin to stretch out a bit adding an extra 2-3 inches in height. The downfall? As the muscles and ligaments relax they cause aching and dull pains. But no pain, no gain! Luckily the aching stops once back on earth where astronauts shrink to their normal height.
Space Makes You Weaker
NASA astronaut Robert Laurel Crippen keeps limber in zero-gravity, whilst orbiting the earth in the space shuttle Columbia. Credit: Space Frontiers/Getty Images
Another side-effect of zero-gravity living is muscle atrophy. Everything in space floats, so there is no need for astronauts to use their muscles to walk, stand or lift. These underused muscles eventually become flabby and weak effecting balance and posture. In turn space travelers run the risk of tendonitis and fat accumulation. Crews usually participate in workout sessions to keep muscle mass at a healthy level.
Get Some Rest
It takes one and a half hours to orbit the planet, so astronauts are treated to sixteen spectacular sunrises and sunrises per day. The novelty of these natural light shows eventually wears off once the fatigue sets in, however. As their sense of night and day is altered, being able to get a “full night’s” sleep is almost impossible. Closet-like cabins and designated “shuttered” hours help the issue, but the lights never truly go out. Anyone dozing off in their space cocoon will notice flashes of brightly colored lights caused by the radiation in cosmic rays slashing through their brain. While these retinal flashes are painless, they are annoying and the radiation can lead to more serious problems such as decreased immunity and a higher risk of cataracts, cancer, heart disease, damage to the central nervous system and brain damage.
Space Makes You Clumsy
In order to maintain balance on earth, your inner ear and muscular sensors seek terrestrial and gravitational clues. In space your body and senses have to rely on visual clues for balance, but even that can be confusing as there is no up or down in space. The result? Imagine a bull in a china shop. After a few days, however, the body acclimates and astronauts are able to move through the space craft with grace and ease without leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
What Happens When You’re Back On Solid Ground?
International Space Station (ISS) crew member Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin holds the torch of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games after landing in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan on November 11, 2013. Three astronauts returned to Earth on November 11, after 66 days aboard the International Space Station, bringing back the Olympic torch back to the planet after a historic space walk. Credit: Shamil Zhumatov/AFP/Getty Images
So now that you’ve made it safely back to earth, you’ve got to get used to that crazy thing we call gravity again. Astronauts risk low blood pressure upon reentry as the blood rushes to lower extremities resulting in lightheadedness, but long-term effects are also a scary possibility. Depending on how long an astronaut has been in zero-gravity conditions, the tiny muscles that send blood upwards may have atrophied so much that they are not able to pump blood back to the heart causing fainting spells and dizziness. Astronauts drink salt water to increase the volume of fluids in their body to help their bodies adjust to reentry.
How To Apply
Anna Fisher, American astronaut. Colourised from black and white photo.
Think you’re ready for a mission to space? If you meet NASA’s requirements, you may just be able to reach the stars. Do you have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics? Was your degree followed by at least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience or at least 1,000 pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft? These and several basic physical criteria are all you need to get the ball rolling, so why not give it a shot?