10 Out-of-This-World Fun Facts About Astronauts You Won't Believe!

1. Blazing Farewell to Dirty Laundry

Taking "laundry day" to a whole new level: Astronauts wear each pair of underwear and other clothing items for as long as possible to conserve resources, since bringing enough clothing for an entire year would weigh a whopping 68 kilograms. After stretching the wearable life of their clothes to the max, they load them into an unmanned cargo capsule destined to burn up in Earth's atmosphere – talk about a blazing farewell to dirty laundry!
Source => edmontonjournal.com

2. Moon Souvenir Shop

Next time you're over the Moon, don't forget to snag a souvenir from Surveyor 3's gift shop: Apollo 12 astronauts visited the uncrewed lunar lander in November 1969, removing several components including the TV camera, which now sits on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know that bread crumbs are a major threat in space? Discover how tortillas save the day on the ISS and learn about astronauts' unique taste bud adventures!

=> Fun Facts about Space

3. Urine-to-Water Recycling

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade; when it gives astronauts urine, they make drinking water: Thanks to the International Space Station's ingenious water recovery system, astronauts can now turn their wastewater, including urine, into potable water, thanks to the recent installation of a redesigned urine distillation assembly which kickstarts the purification process – NASA's tech improvements taking recycling to an out-of-this-world level!
Source => cnet.com

4. Space's Frequent Flyer

He must have had loy-TEA cards from all those Milky Way cafes: Gennady Padalka, a retired Russian cosmonaut, spent an astronomical 878 days, 11 hours, and 31 minutes in space, with five missions under his belt and ten spacewalks to boot.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Secure Sleeping in Space

Ever dreamt of being a space cowboy drifting off into the wild cosmic yonder, snoozing in zero-gravity like a boss? Hold your tethered horses, space cowboy: Astronauts have to secure themselves in sleeping bags attached to the walls, floor, or ceiling of well-ventilated, soundproof cabins while avoiding the cockpit to prevent floating away and ensure a peaceful slumber in space as they gradually adjust their circadian rhythms to the 24-hour cycle of waking and sleeping.
Source => science.howstuffworks.com

6. Fruit Flies' Space Debut

Before Laika the dog had her "ruff" journey into space, some daring fruit flies stole the spotlight and got just a 'buzz' further than any creature had before: In 1947, the United States sent a group of fruit flies into space, making them the first living beings to venture beyond Earth's atmosphere, while Laika orbited our planet in 1957 aboard the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2.
Source => space.com

7. Astronauts' Temporary Growth Spurt

Who needs a chiropractor when you can visit the International Space Station? Astronauts become real-life stretch armstrongs up there: They can temporarily grow up to 3 percent taller during their stay due to spinal elongation, but shrink back to normal after a few months on Earth. To study this space-stretching phenomenon, NASA designed an ultrasound device for astronauts to scan each other's spines and gain vital intel for developing better rehabilitation techniques once they’re back on our home planet.
Source => scientificamerican.com

8. Topsy-Turvy Tootsies

In a bizarre case of topsy-turvy tootsies: astronauts in space witness their feet transform into calloused rough tops and soft smooth bottoms due to the lack of Earthly walking pressure and constant use of foot rails and loops for stabilization. Some even resort to crafting "toe koozies" for protection, debunking the myth that calluses disappear completely in space.
Source => businessinsider.com

9. Cosmic Peekaboo

Astronauts on the International Space Station are quite the early birds and night owls, getting to witness the good ol' star saying hello and goodbye 16 times a day! Talk about being stuck in a classic celestial game of peekaboo: This is all thanks to the station's speedy orbit around Earth every 90 minutes at a whopping 17,150 miles per hour (27,600 kilometers per hour). Bonus fun: you can monitor this cosmic race and admire the view through live video streams on a dedicated website.
Source => coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu

10. Space Oddity Goes Galactic

In space, no one can hear you sing... except when you're covering a David Bowie classic from thousands of miles above Earth: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield managed to record a version of "Space Oddity" aboard the International Space Station in 2013, complete with vocal, guitar parts, and an international ensemble of musicians for the orchestration, earning both Bowie's praise and a unique spot in music history.
Source => nytimes.com