Tube food and no gravity: top 5 myths about the ISS
Miscellaneous / / August 22, 2023
A space systems engineer explains how life on the station actually works.
Ordinary people, as a rule, know little about the conditions in which astronauts work. But in the information space there are many myths about the ISS. At the forum "Scientists against myths" space systems engineer Alexander Khokhlov told, how life at the station actually works and what misconceptions about life in orbit are long overdue.
Forum organizers -ANTROPOGENESIS.RU”- posted a recording of his lecture on their YouTube channel. And Lifehacker made a summary of the speech.
Alexander Khokhlov
Head of the department for the development of small spacecraft, promoter of astronautics.
Myth 1. Astronauts eat exclusively food from tubes
At the very beginning of the development of astronautics, as a rule, there was only one person in the ship. The aircraft was designed in such a way that it was impossible to warm up, let alone cook food. Yes, it was not necessary, because the first flights were very short.
Therefore, once the astronauts really took food in tubes with them. Today, in various museums and exhibitions, we can see those very space dishes. But the exhibition organizers say nothing about the fact that life in near-Earth orbit has changed a long time ago. Today, astronauts take full-fledged ready-made food with them. True, in sublimated or canned form.
Freeze-dried soups, purees, and other liquid meals are stored in long-serving pouches as a powder. When it's time for lunch, the astronaut attaches the package to a special faucet and fills it with water, which is heated to about 80 °C. He shakes the bag, the powder dissolves, and a hot soup is obtained. It is eaten with spoons with very long handles so that food can be reached from the bottom of the bag.
Main courses - porridge with meat, stew, fish in various forms - are delivered on board in the form of canned food. They are very similar to ordinary terrestrial tin cans. The only difference is that the walls of space preserves are thinner so that they can be easily opened. Such a tin is placed in the heater, then the astronaut uncorks it with a key and eats the contents.
The space diet is quite diverse - the menu is repeated only after 16 days. In addition to the general supply containers that the entire crew uses, each astronaut has his own bonus container. There lies the food that he likes the most.
In addition to healthy and nutritious meals, astronauts take something simply delicious with them: chocolate bars, marmalade, sweets. Sometimes they cook something on board - for example, they can collect a cake or make pizza. By the way, cargo ships deliver not only canned food to the ISS. Our Progresses carry vegetables and fruits, the American Dragon carries ice cream. The inhabitants of the station invite colleagues from another compartment to visit and eat these delicious gifts together.
But there are also tubes in space - for example, with ketchup, mustard, jam or condensed milk.
Of course, the ISS uses tubes for food. These are various sauces, some sweet things - something that you can simply squeeze onto pita or bread and eat.
Alexander Khokhlov
Myth 2. There is absolutely no gravity on board the ISS
Here begins a dispute about terms in which non-specialists are often confused. gravity - the force that arises from the interaction of massive objects. Of course, during the flight, it does not disappear anywhere. The station is influenced by the attraction of the Sun, Moon and Earth, inside the modules all objects also interact with each other. Earth's gravity is especially important, because it is this force that keeps the station in orbit. If the Earth suddenly disappeared, the ISS would immediately become a satellite sun.
There is weightlessness on board. This is often confused with the absence of gravity. By the way, the Americans use a different term and say that there is microgravity on the ISS.
Weightlessness arises because the station moves with the first cosmic speed. It is this speed that does not allow leaving the earth's orbit and at the same time does not allow the ship to fall to the planet. Both the ISS and the people inside are in free fall all the time. Because of it, weightlessness arises. By the way, astronauts really like this state, but it is dangerous to stay in it for a long time.
Weightlessness worsens the health of astronauts and cosmonauts, and we have to fight it. If you do not take any measures to combat weightlessness in orbit, you can stay there for a little more than two weeks. Further, this is already guaranteed death upon return. That's why you have to exercise. And so, of course, it is very beautiful, although harmful.
Alexander Khokhlov
In the future, scientists plan to create space stations that will have artificial gravity, and with harmful the influence of weightlessness, or microgravity, will be done away with.
Myth 3. Only recycled water is drunk on the ISS
No, not only recycled. But the regeneration systems work at the station all the time.
Previously, the entire life support system of astronauts was built only on reserves. That is, what they took with them - they used it. But when the duration of flights increased, it became clear that for a normal life, astronauts really need regeneration systems. Today they exist and use both the air and all the liquid at the station.
The Russian segment has a unit that processes condensate, which is collected from the air. First, the air conditioning system separates the smallest droplets of water, such as sweat particles. Then all this collected liquid is purified. Then the system processes it into distilled water. It is impossible to drink it, so it serves only for technical purposes. Sometimes silver ions are introduced into the containers so that bacteria do not settle in the water.
But if salt is added to distilled water in the proportions that a person needs, it will become drinkable. Water with salts, unlike distilled water, is very tasty, it is pleasant to drink it.
The American sector has a system for recycling urine. In ours, it was not there for a long time (although on stations "Mir" similar systems were used), so all our urine supplies were given to neighbors.
Astronauts often joke that yesterday's coffee becomes tomorrow's coffee. Russian cosmonauts don't joke like that.
Alexander Khokhlov
In fact, no one on the ISS drinks water that is derived from recycled urine. It is used to produce oxygen.
Both the Russian and American sectors have oxygen generators that operate on the same principle. Water undergoes electrolysis, and the resulting oxygen immediately enters the atmosphere of the station. For this, astronauts actively use water synthesized from urine.
The Americans still have a Sabatier reactor installed, which works with hydrogen obtained by electrolysis. Carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts is added to it, and the device synthesizes carbon in the form of a powder. In this reaction, water is released again. And now it is already being used both as a technical one, and - with the addition of salts - as a drinking one. That is, the most closed regeneration cycle is obtained, in which almost all resources are used.
So far, there is no such device in the Russian sector, and hydrogen and carbon dioxide are not processed in any way - they are simply thrown away into the space. Although there was a Sabatier reactor at the Mir station. But now drinking water supplies are constantly replenished - they are delivered to the ISS by Russian cargo ships.
For many years, our people gave urine to be recycled, because they had a regeneration system, and we did not. But MLM Nauka docked, and now it will have a system for regenerating water from urine. Well, maybe someone will use it for coffee as well.
Alexander Khokhlov
Myth 4. It is very difficult for astronauts to contact relatives
Yes, it has been that way for many years. In Shchelkovo there is a huge antenna for communication with ships in orbit, and next to it is the Space Communications Center. Previously, when a ship or station flew over Shchyolkovo, a connection was established with them. Then the signal was sent via cable to the MCC in Korolev.
There was a special room in the Mission Control Center - relatives sat there, waiting for the moment when it would be possible to talk with the astronauts. The session lasted 8–10 minutes, and then it was necessary to wait for the next time the station would be at the same point in the orbit.
Now everything has changed. Many relay satellites appeared in orbit. These are both American RDS and our Rays. Now the ISS has Internet and IP telephony. Both cosmonauts and astronauts can pick up their phones at any time and call any cell phone number. And it doesn’t matter where the station will be located at this moment - over Australia, Antarctica or Moscow.
And on weekends, crew members can arrange private teleconferences for relatives - for this, after the launch of the ship, special tablets with the necessary settings are issued.
Astronauts access the Internet - this opportunity appeared several years ago. They even run social networks and blogs and read comments on their posts.
Myth 5. There are too many accidents on the ISS, and it is not clear how long she will live
No, emergencies don't happen very often. Although, of course, things happen.
For example, the transition compartment leaked in the Zvezda module. To locate the leak, the astronauts gutted dry tea bag. The crack was found in the place where the tea leaves stuck. The defect was eliminated, but still the hatch to this module is always closed, although it was open before.
The fact is that the ISS has already exhausted its resource. But they plan to actively use it for a few more years. Recently, 15 countries participating in the project decided to extend the life of the station until 2030. Russia is going to use its segment until 2028. And today, all crews are constantly engaged in maintenance and repair in order to extend the life of the equipment for these several years.
But no system is permanent. When the ISS finally exhausts its resource, it is going to be lowered from orbit. The Russian segment, according to calculations, will play the role of a brake. Three Progress cargo ships docked to the station will deploy the ISS in space and give an impulse to decelerate. The speed will decrease and become lower than the first space one. Then the station will descend from orbit, and then burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere. small debris fall to the ground.
But the history of space stations will definitely continue. Both the United States and Russia have various projects for the development of near-Earth orbit.
Russia has a project for an orbital station. It is planned to launch the first two or three modules into orbit by the end of this decade. The station will be by the middle of the next decade - after 2035.
Alexander Khokhlov
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