How do astronauts eat, sleep in spaceship? (Xinhua) Updated: 2005-10-14 09:50
Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, the two astronauts undertaking China's second
manned space mission, will live and work in space for about 119 hours. How do
they move, eat and sleep in the vessel?
Before the Shenzhou-6 was launched, two space medical specialists prescribed
detailed recipe for the two astronauts, including 50-odd varieties of foodstuff.
Fei and Nie will have three meals every day, with balanced nutrition and
adaptation to their respective tastes.
According to Chen Bin, head of the Space Nutrition and Foodstuff Research
Office under China Space Center, the two astronauts will have three meals every
day, 5 to 6 dishes for each meal. Foodstuff prepared for them total more than 40
kg.
Chen said the foodstuff can be classified into staple food and nonstaple
food. Rice will be the major staple food, with 140 grams of rice packed into a
vacuum bag to be warmed by a heater.
Non-staple foods include beef cooked with preserved orange peels, beef and
cuttle balls and dehydrated vegetables such as rape hearts cooked with
mushrooms.
The astronauts have instant coffee, green tea, orange juice and even creamy
soup to drink. Dehydrated, refrigerated fruits provided for them include
strawberry, apple, banana, peach and Hami melon.
SLEEP IN VARYING POSTURES
A sleeping bag has been arranged for the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft.
It is hooked on the wall of the vessel's orbit module. The astronauts will
sleep by turns, one at rest and the other on duty.
Under the microgravity conditions, they may sleep standing, sitting or lying.
When they sleep, they should put their arms inside the sleeping bag and tie
their hands on their chests, so as not to touch equipment switches accidentally.
It is reported that in microgravity environment, a sleeping person will have
a feeling that their arms and legs seem to separate from their trunks. An
astronaut from the former Soviet Union once took one of his arms left outside
his sleeping bag as a weird object floating toward him. He was scared in cold
sweat by the illusion.
ASTRONAUTIC SUIT: PERSONAL PROTECTION SYSTEM
Since no space walk is planned for the current manned space task, Fei and Nie
are equipped with only intra-capsule suits, which weigh more than 10 kg each,
said Li Tanqiu, director of the Astronautic Suit Research Office under the China
Space Center.
If accidental pressure loss occurs in the capsule, the astronautic-suit
rescue system will start to keep astronauts safe and sound in six hours, during
which the vessel will possibly realize an emergency return to the Earth, Li
added.
At the place of heart on the astronautic suit, there is a round-shaped device
that can be screwed. It is used to readjust pressure, temperature and humidity
inside the suit. On the right side of the stomach position of the suit, a thin
tube serves for telecommunications; and on the left side, two pipes are used for
providing oxygen and discharging carbon dioxide.
According to Li Tanqiu, the outer layer of the suit is made of high-intensity
polyester fabric, allowing a five-square-centimeter cloth to resist a pulling
force of 300 kg.
During their five-day space travel, Fei and Nie will take off the astronautic
suits to enter the orbiter from the re-entry module. In the microgravity
environment, they will take on and off the suits in 10 minutes, Li Tanqiu said.
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