Hello, I am ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer
and I am currently in astronaut training,
in refresher training, in the US.
I haven't been assigned to a mission yet,
but I hope that after the successful launch
of the SpaceX rocket,
for the very first time with astronauts on board,
that this won't be long.
And how I prepare myself for a potential mission
in the near future,
I would like to show you in my little video clip
here today.
NASA's training centre is located
about 30 - 40 minutes by car from downtown Houston
and usually we are accommodated in private accommodation
Or in hotels quite close to the Centre.
For me, that means
about 5 - 10 minutes’
drive by rental car in the morning.
Public transport is not that common here in Texas,
so I drive
to the campus every morning.
On the left side of the picture you can see Building 4
Where the NASA astronauts are located on the 6th floor
and where
most of the training takes place.
In Building 9,
you will find the complete ISS reconstructed
in original size.
This is the building that fascinates me the most.
There
I find myself almost like on the real Space Station.
Here we learn a lot about how the Station is constructed.
On the left side of the picture
for example the robotic work station
from there we operate the robotic arm,
the different modules. Here is the lab,
then we go on further,
Into node 2
and then to the left around the corner
into the Japanese module.
To the right would be the European Columbus module.
This Station is really fascinating.
I am happy every time I come to Building 9
and have the opportunity to train here.
On the ISS, a lot of things can get broken
or new equipment has to be installed.
So it's important that we are able to handle the different tools.
These are the mechanical tools,
but also many electronic components.
Among others, we have a soldering iron
or an electric screwdriver,
hydraulic connections…
We have to know everything
and be able to operate them
and that is very exciting and I enjoy it very much.
One of the most important facilities on the ISS
is of course the toilet.
We have to go to the toilet up there,
just like on Earth
and
then there is the number one and number two.
The toilet that is currently in operation
is a Russian model.
This works by having a kind of vacuum cleaner
connected to a hose,
here with the yellow top.
There we pee in it
and for number two
there is the device as we know it on Earth.
The only difference is
that each time
a bag has to be installed
and this bag
has to be pushed neatly downwards
to make the best use of the space.
In the future we will get an additional,
more modern American toilet.
Just as important as the toilet
is of course nutrition.
For this purpose,
we have a device that allows us to pump hot or cold water
into bags
always in a certain amount.
My colleague Thomas,
who has already been on the ISS,
explains to us his experience
of how to prepare food and drinks in the best possible way.
On the left we see the instructor
who is teaching us this.
He also points to the device
next to the water dispenser.
This is the food warmer, i.e.
a small oven
that can also heat up different types of food
Then here we can see the different food options
that we have on the ISS.
Besides food
we of course also need air to breathe on the Space Station.
We have a closed volume there
and the air we breathe is used up
and enriched with CO2.
We have to remove this CO2 from the air again
and for this we have a great system
that cleans the air.
Unfortunately,
this system breaks down from time to time.
Then
we have to be able to repair it
and that is why I crawl into this rack and learn what can go wrong.
The most important thing is to stay healthy
and fit in space.
We also have to be able
to help ourselves in emergency situations.
To do this we receive medical training.
That starts with monitoring the vital parameters,
such as blood pressure,
but also checking the eardrum.
That’s what I do here.
I learn how I can diagnose changes to my eardrum myself.
the most exciting trainings
is preparation for a spacewalk.
This is not trivial,
it requires a lot of preparation.
Here is just a short outlook.
I will explain this in detail
in the next video clip.
Until then, enjoy!
Bye!