Let’s chat about Space Fashion, shall we?
The bright orange color astronauts wear to go out for launch is called International
Orange, and it’s the same shade as the paint that coats Tokyo Tower in Japan, and the Golden
Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
However, once astronauts are in space, they swap orange for snow-white evening wear.
(It’s always evening in space.)So what gives with the different colors?
Well, there are actually two main types of spacesuits.
The first one is the Advanced Crew Escape Suit, aka the "orange suit," aka the "pumpkin
suit."
Trick or treat!
Astronauts wear this full-pressure suit during "lift-off".
These spacesuits are crucial for those who are heading for super high altitudes.
There, the pressure is so low that people can't survive without a special protective
suit..
Anyway, the orange suit is equipped with different stuff that can help an astronaut to survive
if something goes wrong during the launch or landing of the spaceship.
For example, a usual "pumpkin suit" is stocked with flares, survival gear, medications, a
radio, and a parachute.
And a bunch of candy in case the costumed kiddie s come to the house.
Not really.
Well okay, I get it, astronauts wouldn't live through the process of leaving Earth without
the orange suit.
But still, why this color?
The main reason for picking orange is that this hue is one of the most visible for search
and rescue, including sea rescue.
Makes sense.
Alright, well how about the white, bulky spacesuits?
Ah, these are EVA (which stands for Extra-Vehicular Activities) suits.
And their purpose is totally different from that of the orange suits.
Astronauts wear EVA suits when they go on a spacewalk!
Such an outfit can protect them from the unfriendly conditions of outer space, what with its extreme
temperatures and near-vacuum!
Besides, the white suit can prevent small debris from hurting space-travelers.
You might have noticed that EVA suits are much bulkier than the orange ones.
That's because they contain numerous layers of insulation and heavy protective fabric.
On top of that, they contain breathable air, drinkable water, and temperature controls.
Also, every time an astronaut goes on a spacewalk, they use a tether that ties them to the space
station.
However, in case the tether tears, the EVA suit has a backup system.
This system includes small jet thrusters which can be controlled from the station with the
help of a joystick.
As for the color, the white hue reflects the heat of the sun better than other colors.
As a result, astronauts don't get too hot.
What's more, the white color is best when it comes to spotting a tiny dot of an astronaut
against the vast expanse of black, black space.
One curious detail: while white spacesuits protect astronauts from getting too hot, they
can't prevent them from getting too cold.
And that's when the spacemen's gloves come into play!
Yep, they have embedded heaters which keep astronauts' fingers cozy and functioning.
And speaking of cool, how about some more cool facts about astronauts that’ll give
you a sneak peek at their highly unusual lives!
- While sleeping, astronauts must have exceptionally good airflow around them.
Otherwise, the carbon dioxide they exhale can form a bubble around their heads, and
they’ll become oxygen-deprived.
- When one astronaut threw a boomerang inside the International Space Station, it returned
to him.
So, just remember that as long as there’s some air which provides the necessary forces,
even weightlessness won't prevent you from having a bit of fun.
- Astronauts have to get rid of their clothes after each use.
See for yourself: to bring a mere 1 pound of laundry to the International Space Station
costs more than $10,000.
So, it costs less to throw the clothing away when it gets dirty than to waste water on
washing it.
- Skylab was the first American space station which operated for about half a year from
May 1973 to February 1974.
Its interior was pretty big, and astronauts sometimes got "stuck" in the middle.
From there, they’d have to wait for the currents of air to blow them closer to a wall
or try to "swim" back through the air.
- Months after coming back from long missions in space, astronauts still tend to let go
of things while they’re still in mid-air.
They’ve gotten so accustomed to everything floating – they get a shock when the objects
simply crash to the floor.
- There was an astronaut who’d been waiting for a whopping 19 years before he finally
flew to space.
The thing is that the mission he’d been selected to go on got canceled.
Then, the he remained a backup for other astronauts.
Only in 1985 did the persistent astronaut managed to fly on the space shuttle.
- All American astronauts have to learn Russian to be able to run the International Space
Station using Russian-language manuals, if there’s no alternative.
- There’s a specially trained person who smells every single thing that astronauts
take with them into space.
It's done to protect them from unpleasant or toxic odors.
The thing is that you can't really air the room out in space if you don't like how it
smells inside.
That's why NASA is extremely careful about what kind of odors are allowed to pass through.
- During space adaptation, 50% to 75% of astronauts have highly unpleasant syndromes, such as
vertigo, headaches, nausea, and overall tiredness.
Well that doesn’t sound like fun!
Luckily, everything goes back to normal within 72 hours.
- When astronauts are in space, they often see random flashes of light - and it's not
hallucinations!
Cosmic rays that hit the optic nerve create this effect.
You don't see similar flashes here on Earth, because the magnetosphere doesn't let cosmic
rays reach you.
And that’s a good thing.
- If an astronaut needs to scratch their nose while wearing the EVA suit, there’s a patch
of Velcro inside the helmet.
I was always wondering about that!
- Before going to space, astronauts have underwater training, which is supposed to simulate zero
gravity.
But in fact, it has nothing in common with being in outer space.
So, the main purpose of the underwater training is to see how future astronauts can deal with
extreme environments.
- If you've always dreamed of growing a bit taller, you should probably go to space!
Due to the lack of gravity, astronauts grow, on average, 2 inches taller during their mission.
But, they shrink back several months after they return to Earth.
- Obviously, if someone gets injured on the space station, they can't be rushed to a hospital
right away.
That's why each astronaut is extensively trained so that they can deal with medical emergencies.
- Before flying to space, potential astronauts have to get through incredibly tough competition.
According to NASA, they accept only 8 applicants out of 6,000!
On top of that, the selection process takes around 18 months!
- When an astronaut returns from a long stay on the ISS, they feel incredibly clumsy.
After being used to the lack of gravity in space, it’s difficult to adapt to the necessity
of climbing steps or going around furniture.
- The lack of gravity also makes sneezing inside a spacesuit a serious problem.
If they absolutely have to sneeze, astronauts bend their heads downward and sneeze into
their chest.
Otherwise, their visors would have to be equipped with windshield wipers!
And that snot very pleasant!
- Astronauts have been replacing bread with flour tortillas since the mid 80s.
The thing is that crumby foods are understandably not allowed on the space station because stray
crumbs can damage the equipment.
Tortillas, on the other hand, don't present such a risk.
Besides, they instantly became very popular with the astronauts.
They also fly very well in a weightless environment.
- If an astronaut cries in space, tears don't flow down their face.
Instead, they gather into thick blobs of liquid around their eyes because the water surface
tension holds tears together.
- Surprisingly, when coming back after a mission away from the Earth, astronauts still have
to pass through customs.
For example, when Apollo 11 returned from the Moon, the spacemen had to declare the
moon dust, moon rocks, and other samples they’d collected on their trip to a foreign land.
I mean really far away.
- Astronauts who forget to attach themselves to something when they sleep can easily float
away and bump into a hard surface.
That's why they usually rest in sleeping bags in a small crew cabin.
- To shower without gravity isn't an easy feat.
Thus, astronauts take a shower in an enclosed cylinder which keeps the water from floating
away.
They use a no-rinse shampoo, spray themselves with water to rinse off the soap, and finally,
use a vacuum hose which sucks up all the water from their bodies.
- The ISS orbits our planet at a very high speed.
I mean, it only takes 92 minutes to make a full circle!
That's why astronauts see a sunrise and a sunset every 45 minutes, which totals 15-16
sunsets and sunrises each day.
And if you want to see the space station fly over your house during the morning or evening
hours, check out Spot The Station dot NASA dot gov.
Type in your town, and they’ll send you a heads up with the exact times when you can
run out and wave to the astronauts as they fly overhead.
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