Saturday, April 6, 2019

The International Space Station

Life in space occupies this area in the Canada Aviation And Space Museum, particularly life aboard the International Space Station. This photograph of six astronauts includes Robert Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut, at lower left.


A hatch welcomes the visitor in. Of course you can walk around instead.


Systems on board the ISS are examined throughout this area, including panels, photographs, videos, and artifacts.


Life on board presents its own challenges. Shaving includes a vacuum, and sleep in low gravity requires adjustments.


So too does something like shampoo.


Or brushing your teeth.


This is Robert Thirsk's hygiene kit. His two missions in space included one shuttle mission aboard Columbia and six months on board the ISS.


Downtime in space has its own rejuvenating quality. 


This guitar is a reproduction of the original made by the Canadian Larrivee Guitar company. NASA commissioned the company to build a smaller guitar that could more easily fit on board the ISS. 


Eating and drinking presents other challenges in space. Some things are easily eaten in space. Other items just can't go up into orbit. And still others require some serious modifications by earth bound scientists in food labs to make them space-ready.


I leave off for today with this. Thirsk got care packages sent up with payloads during his time on the ISS, items sent from his family. The Tim Hortons cup is a gag; the national coffee (though I don't know why) happens to be his favourite brand, but he just got an empty cup.

34 comments:

  1. Wow...The challenges of just existing in a space station are quite amazing...

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  2. Its a great challenge living in the space ship.

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  3. I hadn't really thought of the challenges of eating and hygiene in space.

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  4. Must be strange to fly around and not walking !

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  5. Didn´t you get in??
    Oh, yes, the guitar, so cute what he did.

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  6. ...I can't imagine live in it!

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  7. Living in some tin cans, flying 27.600 km/h at about 355 km above the earth ... It is so fascinating. This week the ISS passed over the Netherlands in the evening hours. I like to go outside in the garden now and then to see them pass. :-)

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  8. Hello,
    I am thankful for the people who live in the space station. I could never do it! Enjoy your weekend!

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  9. This is so cool. We have people in space!

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  10. @Gemma: that's true.

    @Nancy: that it is.

    @Joan: what we take for granted gets complicated in space.

    @Gattina: it would take getting used to.

    @Iris: I didn't try.

    @Tom: I find it fascinating.

    @Jan: I recently picked up a book of photography by one of the astronauts.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @Sandi: cool indeed.

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  11. Love thinking about what it must be like to be beyond the pull of gravity. Thanks for the tour of the ISS. :-)

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  12. Very nice personalization of an astronaut's life in space.

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  13. It is interesting to see those pics from life with no gravity!

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  14. Amazing how that in just a little over 100 years we've gone from no flight to flight in space. What will happen next?

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  15. What an interesting section this is.

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  16. So much to see here and last post William.. I am totally in awe of the astronauts blasting themselves into space 😱

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  17. I get notifications when ISS is overhead and watch for it when the skies are clear!

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  18. Life in the space station must be so interesting.

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  19. i love her hair ... that is to fun. wow, never thought about playing instruments. very cool!! happy weekend. ( ;

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  20. @DJan: you're welcome.

    @Barbara: that it is.

    @RedPat: I thought so.

    @Red: stargates.

    @Sharon: it is!

    @Grace: it's quite a museum.

    @Karl: thank you!

    @Marie: I find myself wondering if we could see it here with all the city lights.

    @Bill: it would be quite a variety.

    @Beth: thank you.

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  21. Must be quite an experience being in space.

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  22. Life in the space station is so different and must take some getting used to!

    All the best Jan

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  23. At some point Tim Hortons captured the nation. It is a bit odd, but Timmies are now ubiquitous and part of Canadiana.

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  24. Intriguing post and photos ~ love the guitar ~ have a Baby Taylor onel ~

    Happy Days to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  25. That's neat! I love how Larrivee made a guitar they could take up with them!

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  26. I always wondered how everyday tasks were accomplished. Agree about Tim Hortons coffee lol

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  27. @Happyone: indeed.

    @Jan: definitely.

    @Linda: I think so.

    @Italiafinlandia: that it is.

    @Anvilcloud: I don't like coffee to start with, so I have little reason to go into a Tims.

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  28. @Carol: it's quite a guitar.

    @Jennifer: quite a gag.

    @Jeanie: quite a thing to do.

    @Jenn: it requires some creative thinking.

    @Klara: very much so.

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