Astronauts Don’t Cry!

Astronauts take about five years of training to visit ISS (International Space Station), which orbits around the earth’s outer atmosphere and is visible to humans in 6700 locations worldwide. The training sessions increase depending on the distance an astronaut is required to cover on their space mission, and an ISS visit is the basic of them all.

Imagine the view when you are actually in outer space, looking at how grand earth looks in green and blue. The feeling of being far away from home, the fear of falling back to earth, embraced by the darker void, and being incapable of letting the tears in space flow are riveting.

What Happens When You Cry In Space?

Astronauts are humans, and they can’t prevent themselves from crying. Crying is natural to humans. We cry when we are happy, and when we are sad, with the earth’s gravity, the tears trickle down our cheeks, soaking up our dress. 

Zero gravity in space causes these tears to pool around the eyes, causing the eyes to sting. From small flakes of anti-fogging spray to remembering home, everything can make astronauts cry. All they can do is, wipe those tears away and watch those droplets dance around their space station. As scenic as it may be, it’s still hard to watch your pain dance in front of your eyes. 

Other Normal Routines Astronauts Can’t Follow In Space

• Brushing teeth doesn’t feel the same since astronauts have to swallow the paste after brushing because they usually don’t have the option of spitting it.
• Taking a bath every day is not possible in space. Water is a high-density liquid and is heavy to be lifted into space. Astronauts usually wash their hair once a week and have the same water filtered to be packaged as drinking water later.
• Pooping is the best way to feel light, and astronauts have to strap themselves to the pot and have suction pipes attached to their nether regions to have the excretions flow out of them.
• Farting loud is embarrassing. Think about igniting a fire soon after you fart! The pressure and the gases inside an astronaut’s room have enough chemicals to ignite a fire soon after being introduced to new gas. That’s why farting is dangerous.
• Burping is physically impossible in space. Humans burp when solid food settles in the stomach’s bottom while the gases float upwards to the esophagus. With zero gravity, these gases usually don’t float upwards.
• Sleeping the quintessential part of human life is not normal in space. Astronauts strap themselves to a wall and have hands floating like zombies. With sunrises every 90 minutes, an eyepatch is an absolute necessity.
• Grooming activities like cutting bodily hair, nails, etc., have to be done near vents or with vacuum attached equipment to avoid accidents.
• Exercising is very important and very difficult in space since floating around doesn’t count as exercise. Muscle mass and bone strength are major health concerns for astronauts.
• Appetite, in general, is not heavy in astronauts due to water retention and blocked sinuses caused by fluctuations in pressure levels. Certain food and carbonated drinks should be consumed moderately while alcohol is completely banned.

The one thing in space that is similar to earth is space-junk, humans have the habit of leaving a trail of garbage where ever they go and space is no exception.