All posts tagged: astronauts

From crying to dentistry: 6 odd skills astronauts need to go to space

From crying to dentistry: 6 odd skills astronauts need to go to space

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. When the four-person Artemis II crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, they landed with a deeper understanding of what it will take to finally bring humans back to the moon. Those of us inspired by their mission back home on Earth also have  greater appreciation for some everyday skills that prove especially useful in space. Decades of experimenting with humans in space have revealed a number of odd, sometimes unexpected skills that may come in handy while hurtling away from our home planet. Here are a few. Napping in weird positions  Even under the best conditions, sleeping in space is easier said than done. Long days can blend into nights, and the constant checklists of to-dos and sensitive experiments can make long stretches of sleep unrealistic. Then there’s also the impending dread of realizing any number of things could go wrong and result in your crew hurtling through the cold, empty void. If that weren’t enough, sleeping …

How Can Astronauts Tell How Fast They’re Going?

How Can Astronauts Tell How Fast They’re Going?

Published by skeptic

Let’s use our car again, but this time we’ll get real numbers from the accelerometer in our smartphone. Say we start at a red light and then accelerate at 2 m/s2 (meters per second squared) for five seconds. From the equation above, Δv1 would be 2 x 5 = 10 m/s, so that’s our velocity. Now, after cruising for a while, we accelerate again at 1 m/s2 for five more seconds. Δv2 is then 1 x 5 = 5 m/s. Adding these two changes, our velocity is now 15 m/s. And so on. The only problem is that inertial measurement isn’t as accurate as the Doppler method over long periods, because small errors will keep accumulating. That means you need to recalibrate your system periodically using some other method. Optical Navigation On Earth, people have long navigated by the stars. In the northern hemisphere, just find Polaris. It’s called the North Star because Earth’s axis of rotation points right at it. That’s why it appears stationary, while the other stars seem to revolve around it. …

Artemis astronauts describe ‘otherworldly’ incident passing behind Moon

Artemis astronauts describe ‘otherworldly’ incident passing behind Moon

Published by Sam Flores

The Artemis II astronauts who recently returned from the far side of the Moon have described their “otherworldly” experience during the record-breaking mission. Speaking at their first news conference since returning home last Friday, the four-person crew revealed they experienced a multitude of overwhelming emotions during the nine-day mission, which took them further from Earth than any human has ever travelled. One profound instance, as told by mission commander Reid Wiseman, occurred during a solar eclipse that only they could see as the Moon passed between their spacecraft and the Sun. “It’s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through,” mission commander Wiseman said. “When the Sun eclipsed behind the Moon… I turned to [Artemis II pilot] Victor and said, ‘I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we’re looking at right now’.” He added: “It was otherworldly, and it was amazing.” The Moon is backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse on 6 April, 2026, as seen from the Orion spacecraft (NASA) The Artemis …

How Do Astronauts Poop In Space?

How Do Astronauts Poop In Space?

Published by Sam Flores

Recently, the Artemis II crew took a trip to the moon and back. The astronauts involved – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, and Christina Koch – were the first to reach the satellite in over 50 years, and spent 10 whole days in space. A visit to the moon in the age of social media was a beautiful thing. Some people filmed the rocket’s launch from the window of their commercial flight. We got new, beautiful images of the Earth from space. But while some were touched by the drive, ingenuity, and ambition of the mission, I was left with a more prosaic question: what happens when astronauts need the loo? How do astronauts poop in space? Taking a trip to the toilet in a low-gravity environment is no easy feat. Previous missions, like Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, had no toilets. Astronauts used to tape plastic bags to their buttocks to capture the waste. Then, after a bowel movement, astronauts would seal the bag and knead in a chemical designed to kill bacteria. This …

Watch a recovery crew open Integrity’s hatch for Artemis II astronauts

Watch a recovery crew open Integrity’s hatch for Artemis II astronauts

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Open up that hatch! Exciting new footage documents a recovery team opening up the Integrity’s hatch after the space capsule’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. The crew greets Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, following their historic 700,000-mile trip around the moon and back.  Their video posted to Instagram by Commander Wiseman shows the recovery team of NASA and United States military personnel giving fist bumps and smiling as the recovery team prepares to safely extract the crew. In the caption, Wiseman thanked the team writing “Jesse, Steve, Laddy, and Vlad….such an incredible feeling to welcome you aboard Integrity after a nearly 700,000 mile journey. Forever thankful for your service to our crew and the nation.” The crew officially splashed down at 8:07 p.m. EDT on April 10, 2026 after a 10-day mission. Along the way, the Artemis II crew surpassed Apollo 13’s record for farthest …

NASA already has next Artemis flight in sights following astronauts’ triumphant moon flyby

NASA already has next Artemis flight in sights following astronauts’ triumphant moon flyby

Published by Sam Flores

APOLLO 9 ASTRONAUT’S VIEW Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart loved flying the lunar module in low-Earth orbit – “a test pilot’s dream.” But there’s no question, he noted, that “the real astronauts”, at least in the public’s mind, were the ones who walked on the moon. Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and his crew put their passion and feelings on full display as they flew around the moon and back, choking up over lost loved ones and those left behind on Earth. During their nearly 10-day journey, they tearfully requested that a fresh, bright lunar crater be named after Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020. They also openly shared their love for one another and Planet Earth, an exquisite yet delicate oasis in the black void, which they said needs better care. Artemis II included the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first non-US citizen to fly to the moon. “Wonderful communicators, almost poets,” Isaacman said from the recovery ship while awaiting their return. Apollo’s manly, all-business moon …

Back from the moon: Artemis astronauts safely return to Earth

Back from the moon: Artemis astronauts safely return to Earth

Published by Sam Flores

After 9 days and 21 hours, NASA’s Artemis astronauts safely returned to Earth late Friday, April 10, splashing down in the ocean after completing the latest phase of the agency’s renewed push toward the moon. The crew traveled aboard the Orion capsule (that they dubbed “Integrity”), which reentered Earth’s atmosphere before deploying parachutes and landing in a designated recovery zone, where teams quickly moved in to retrieve both the spacecraft and its passengers. NASA confirmed the astronauts were in good condition following the landing. [NOTE: This video includes the complete reentry footage. The actual splashdown occurs at 1:39:30, and the astronauts begin disembarking from the helicopters onto the waiting aircraft carrier landing area at 3:35:56.] (NASA / Josh Valcarcel) NASA’s Artemis II mission concluded as the Orion capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following a successful 10-day mission. The Artemis crew were part of some historic and memorable moments. They were the first crew to be the furthest from the Earth, breaking Apollo XIII’s record. They were also granted the honor of naming two moon …

After a whirlwind mission to the moon, astronauts are back home. Here’s what’s next : NPR

After a whirlwind mission to the moon, astronauts are back home. Here’s what’s next : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — splashed down in an Orion space capsule Friday after a 9-day mission to the moon and back. Bill Ingalls/NASA hide caption toggle caption Bill Ingalls/NASA The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission are safely back on Earth after a nine-day mission took them on a trip around the moon and back, sending humans deeper into space than ever before. To come home safely, the crew — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — and its capsule had to endure near-record-breaking entry speeds and temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Orion spacecraft spent 13 and a half minutes falling through the atmosphere, hitting a top speed of more than 30 times the speed of sound. Orion performed as designed. The capsule’s heat shield protected the crew, and a series of parachutes helped the capsule gently splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the …

Artemis astronauts return to earth

Artemis astronauts return to earth

Published by Sam Flores

NASA celebrated a triumphant return from the Moon late Friday as four astronauts splashed down safely off the California coast, completing the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years and marking a major milestone for the US space agency’s ambitions to return humans to deep space. Caitlin Brown reports. Keywords for this article Source link