Final Shots From Inside A Museum

 This is a space physiology experiment sled- a Canadian device used by astronaut Roberta Bondar during a space sickness study.

From here on the second floor, the walkway provides splendid views over the collection of planes.

I took my leave. As you can see, this has been a summer of drought in the area. I hope you have enjoyed this visit.

The Undiscovered Country

Astronauts are multi-taskers, and among the training is medical training.

Being able to keep in touch with family on a regular basis helps crew morale.

This is the crew shirt of Canadian astronaut Dave Williams.

He took a Tragically Hip CD to space. NASA framed it with other mementos.

Some astronauts have a background in medicine. Such is the case with David Saint-Jacques, who was a family doctor in Canada before going to space.

Here is his flight suit.

One of the things that can happen in extended stays in orbit is that the eyes can be affected, and blurring can happen.

Bone loss also happens, with density depleting during a tour on the ISS. It takes time back on Earth to build that back up. Below we see an experiment that went into space examining osteoporosis. 

And being in microgravity leads to disorientation. We'll wrap up this tour tomorrow.

Viewpoints From Orbit

 More views from within the recreated Cupola of the International Space Station.

One of the ongoing research projects aboard the ISS is the effect of radiation from the sun on the bodies of astronauts.

Another is to engage with the public- whether it's video calls with schools and community groups or posting on social media. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield became particularly skilled at the latter during his time on the ISS.

A long row of photographs of Canadian astronauts. Our first, Marc Garneau, died recently. He can be seen at top left. At bottom right, our first female astronaut, Roberta Bondar.

The second floor features more about technology in space.

It is a demanding task, spending half a year or more in space. Keeping up the morale of a mission crew presents its own challenges.

Aurora Borealis

 A panel here looks at the Canadarm.

The human body starts to have issues with extended tours in space, and if you're up there for months on end, there are ways to counteract things like muscle loss- exercise. Using customized exercise equipment on the ISS, astronauts must exercise two hours a day to counter the effects of being up there. It makes recovery upon returning home go smoother.

They're also busy with research- scientific experiments, checking on each other's physiological state, for instance.

And part of their free time inevitably includes time in the Cupola, which gives a view back onto the Earth.

A reproduction of the Cupola is here, with footage from the ISS flashing by. When I entered, aurora borealis was shimmering. 

Space Station

Continuing where we left off yesterday, here we have a portion of the island of Newfoundland from space.

This is the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.

And here is Vancouver.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have a lot of work to do, but they need their downtime, and they get it.

This guitar is an example of another one custom made by a Canadian company and sent up to the ISS. The trick was to shrink the guitar down somewhat, while maintaining its musical sound.

Eating on the ISS poses its own challenges. There's much more variety than the days of the Apollo program, but there's a lot that you can't take up there. Muffins, for instance, leave crumbs- not the sort of thing you want in a microgravity environment.

Here we have the suit of a Canadian astronaut, the sort of space suit used for exterior work on the ISS.

And Mission Control is always a call away.

There is no shortage of work to be done on the ISS.