NASA's requirements for becoming an astronaut are tough, but not overly complex. As such, applicants must have a Bachelor of Science degree, be physically fit, and be between 58.5 and 76 inches tall. However, NASA does not mention other interesting conditions.
You can probably think of something else: mentality, quick problem solving, and the ability to work in a team. But another condition that you don't even think about is a strong stomach. The stories presented in the article clearly explain why this particular quality is so important.
The microgravity of space can lead to many disgusting situations. If you find carpet stains difficult to clean, try collecting floating vomit or dried skin.
Floating calluses
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“Calluses on our feet in space will eventually fall off,” astronaut Scott Kelly told the AMA's Reddit. "Your feet are as soft as the feet of a newborn baby, but I have rough crocodile skin on mine because I used the top of my legs to move around the space station using the railing."
Floating calluses, which, it is possible that can get into the open mouth of an astronaut, can cause disgust in many people, but this is not the worst that can happen. Take, for example, the story of what happened during the flight of the STS-1 spacecraft.
The problem that has arisen
In April 1981, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen successfully piloted the Columbia spacecraft. It was their first successful mission, but not without some hiccups.
The toilet clogged early in the flight, forcing two crew members to use fecal containment systems. They looked like tubular bags and were attached to the buttocks with a sticky seal to trap and store evacuated faeces. Worse, during re-entry, vacuum-dried feces from the broken, inflated toilet migrated into the ventilation system and into the main cabin. Young and Crippen managed to cope with the processed food particles quite courageously.
Fecal containment systems were somewhat inconvenient during the STS-1 flight, but they were common during Apollo missions. The clumsy vehicles were far from reliable designs, especially in microgravity.
Original polylogue
During the Apollo 10 mission, as Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan, and John Young were orbiting the moon, some of the feces escaped from the containers containing them. Alan Boyle uncovered this embarrassing situation while reviewing the declassified mission logs and released the information to NBC's Space Magazine.
“Give me a napkin quickly,” says Stafford. "Feces fly in the air." “I didn't do it,” Young replies. - That's not mine". “I don't think this is one of mine,” Cernan says. “Mine was a little more sticky than this,” says Stafford. "Throw her away."
Astronauts discuss the intricacies of waste disposal in space, and then move on to another matter. But after a few minutes another remark sounds: "Houston, we have a problem." “Here's another damn feces,” Cernan says. "What's the matter with you guys?"
Modern space toilets
With futuristic vacuum toilets and well-designed filtration systems, space travel is no longer clouded by escaped feces.
The problem has already been resolved. “In fact, the International Space Station is in many cases cleaner than your bathroom at home,” astrobiologist Kasturi Venkateswaran told the Washington Post.
This is encouraging news for aspiring astronauts!
Maya Muzashvili