A Day in the Life of an Astronaut: From Morning to Night

Byeol-maru gently docked with the International Space Station. The wall clock inside read six in the morning.

“Byeoli, is it morning here? It’s pitch dark outside.”

“The station circles the Earth about every 90 minutes, so the Sun rises and sets sixteen times a day. You can’t tell morning from night by looking out the window. Instead, the clocks are set to the time used in London, called Coordinated Universal Time.”

“So what time do the astronauts wake up?”

“Usually around six in the morning. Their sleeping bags are fastened to the wall, so rather than lying down, they float as they sleep and wake up.”

Hyeongseop watched the astronauts gather for breakfast. Instead of plates, packaged food and drink pouches with straws were stuck to the table.

“Do you know why they eat tortillas instead of bread? Crumbs would float around and could get into machines or eyes, which is dangerous.”

“After breakfast, they check the day’s schedule with mission control on the ground. From then until lunch, they do science experiments and check the station.”

“What kind of experiments?”

“They grow plants, study how medicines behave, and investigate how the human body changes without gravity. The station is a laboratory floating in the sky. They also fix broken parts themselves, like swapping out air filters and repairing the toilet.”

“Do they work in the afternoon too?”

“Yes, but there’s one thing they never skip.”

“Exercise, right?”

“Exactly. About two hours a day. Without gravity, bones and muscles weaken quickly. They use a treadmill, a bike, and weight machines, and because their bodies float, they strap themselves in.”

“How do they wash?”

“No showers, because the water would float away. Instead they use shampoo that needs no rinsing and wipe their bodies with wet towels.”

“How do they get drinking water?”

“Carrying water up from Earth all the time is far too expensive, so the station recycles it. Sweat, moisture from breath, and even urine are cleaned and drunk again. They reuse about 98 percent of it.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“After dinner, it’s free time. They might video-call their families, take photos of Earth from the window, or watch a movie. Around 9:30 at night, they slip into their sleeping bags and sleep for about eight hours.”

“What about weekends?”

“On Saturdays they clean the whole station, and Sundays are for resting.”

Hyeongseop thought about a day that was both like and unlike his days on Earth. Eating, working, exercising, washing, talking with family, and falling asleep were the same in space too.

“Do you know what astronauts who return to Earth say they miss most? Many mention the smell of wind and rain.”

Hyeongseop gazed at the blue Earth outside the window for a long time. Somewhere down there, it might be raining right now.