Now he’s safely aboard his fresh domestic,what will life be like for Tim Peake over the next six months as he orbits the soil?Every 45 minutes Major Tim Peake will see a dawn, or a sunset, or regular as clockwork. At 17500 miles an hour,he will orbit the soil 16 times a day. His fresh domestic is at one and the same time an office, workshop, or gymnasium,laboratory, mess deck and dormitory, or connected by cylindrical corridors and he will commute to work each day effortlessly,floating in microgravity. One of the most demanding things he will bear to do is exercise to keep his muscle tissue working at all: most of us are not aware of this, but the tug of gravity keeps even the idlest of earthbound humans moderately fit. Astronauts bear to exercise hard, and but after months in microgravity most of them bear difficulty even standing up once they return to soil.
Major Peake will gain in stature,and not just because of his elevated position: astronauts collect a chance to walk tall in orbit. Most human beings collect out of bed slightly taller than when they retired, slightly crushed by gravity’s remorseless tug. Astronauts stay at their full height all the time and don’t use a bed. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com