Diary of an astronaut Sandra Magnus

44-year-old American Sandra Magnus spent orbiting the Earth 133 days - from 14 November 2008 to 28 March 2009. Together with cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov and astronaut Michael Fincke, she participated in the 18th expedition to the International Space Station.

It was not the first flight into space Magnus: in 2002 she participated in the expedition of the space shuttle Atlantis STS-112. However on the ISS for the first time led by Magnus online diary.

Constant internet connection with the station there, so their records and answers to questions readers Magnus sent by e-mail - sometimes very late - in the land of Science and Technology University of Missouri, where editors put them in your blog.

How to fly into space

Well, I'm back in space. First, let's talk about the launch. I sat on the middle deck, so that access to the window I did not. We listened to the countdown, and only when it was announced that the remaining nine minutes before the start, realized that we had somewhere to let fly. We felt like checking the gimbal of a jet engine, and waited for an empty primary. Small vibration, our chair was shake and six seconds shook in earnest, and we felt that the most "bang for the chair", which tells about all the astronauts. We soared from the launch pad. Once separated the first step, it was noticeably quieter, and the course became softer. Before separating the main engine, we felt that the overload reached 3g. It seemed to last forever. It feels as if perched on the chest 100-pound gorilla. But in fact, the main engine was separated almost immediately, and the overload is over. When you come out to the orbit, the main thing - to move slowly at first.

The first strong feeling that I got from otstegnuvshis seat: floating up. It seemed as if I was on to something not uhvachena, and then fly away to the ceiling. My vestibular system had not yet realized that the force of attraction is no more, and it confuses me your signals. We on the middle deck has a lot of cases, so that it was quite impossible to follow the rules, for which the first day in orbit need to save space "1g orientation" (ie to preserve the so-called vertical orientation with respect to the main elements of the shuttle.). Me rolling from side to side, twisted upside down and back, up and down. It was very difficult to control the body, I had to move very slowly, but the legs and other limbs dangling as they please. I experienced great relief when I finally managed to get out of the stuffy and hot suit. By the end of the day I have remembered how to move in zero gravity, and as usual it was attached to the ceiling.

As in space to go online and watch TV

TV we do not, even though from the flight control center, we sometimes send files from TV shows and movies. But our expedition conducting an experiment with the Internet. There is only e-mail and IP-telephony, when there is a satellite to the Earth. In the experiment involved only one computer that is not connected to any of our systems and receives the internet signal from the MCC via satellite. It is important that the computer has been fully isolated, that we may not have picked up any terrestrial virus.

How to sleep in space

The task is not simple, quite frankly. You probably do not realize it, but we are all accustomed to the fact that when we fall asleep on us the force of attraction. Through this power, we can lie on the bed, and our heads are on the pillow. The first time I went to sleep in zero gravity, I have always had the feeling that I'm falling and I waited, and when I hit the floor. After some time, I learned how to be fastened in a sleeping bag and got used to the fact that was floating in the air during sleep (and do not feel at a hard surface such as a bed).

How to dress in space

Imagine that you live in a place where nothing is impossible to put or place. If you do something somewhere put or place, it immediately fly away and disappear. No stability. Now think about it, how often during the day you have something somewhere to put, or put ... Here you woke up and got out of bed. Your bed is on the floor, where it holds the force of gravity. You go to the closet to get clothes. Clothes hanging in the closet, because it holds the power of attraction. You shoot your pajamas and throw it on the floor or in a laundry basket. There she is, because it holds the power of attraction. In general, you probably realized, and can independently continue the thought experiment. The problem is that we're at the top, devoid of luxury gravity. In the morning I wake up and get out of the sleeping bag, which is attached to the wall. When I open the container to get her clothes, she still strives to scatter around the bay, and all at once. When I take off my pajamas, she, too, somewhere flies, it is necessary for the chase, to stick to the wall with Velcro. Of course, the more difficult the task, the stronger the need to think before you undertake it. And so in all. If you for some reason need tools, they need to not only find, but put in a container from which they do not fly away (trust me, you'll have a hard time, if in the cosmos you lost some small tool!). Frankly speaking, there is nothing easier than to lose anything on the ISS! That is why the Velcro - the main one astronaut.

How do I go to the bathroom in space

Okay. You have long been waiting for - get. Actually, on second thought, it's quite an interesting engineering problem. What is happening in the world when you go to the toilet? On Earth, gravity works, thanks to which it all falls down the toilet. Now imagine what happens if there is no gravity. Designers for a long time struggled with the cosmic sort, because they had to come up with a way to isolate the urine and feces, and place them in a special tank. It turned out that the air flows may well cope with it, with the result that the toilet works on the principle of a vacuum cleaner. When you go to the bathroom in space - it does not matter on the shuttle or the International Space Station - the first thing to do - turn on the fan forcing air into a special hose, in which you will do all their deeds. Air currents carry away urine, and it is transported through a hose into the tank. With defecation - the same thing. Turn on the fan, tightly close the booty outlet hose, and air blows everything away. It works just fine!

Why in space needed tortilla

Tortilla in space - this is the basis, first thing. We eat tortillas instead of bread, because they do not crumble. Just imagine what would have happened if we had been in orbit bread, constantly falling apart into small pieces and crumbs! They would not fall on the floor, no - they would rather fly across the station and could even get into your eyes, which is extremely unpleasant. A tortilla become a such a versatile carrier for any meal. I can not think of anything that could not be wrapped in a tortilla and spread on it, and what we do not put or smeared. Accordingly, the main goal of any of the crew - to ensure the necessary supply of this product on board, all literally swam in a tortilla (on demand unless they are inferior to that caffeine).

The fact is that even a 16-day supply cycle composed in accordance with our preferences, at some point get tired. And with all the tortilla becomes much more fun: you can, for example, spread to her black beans, add some melted cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and - voila, a whole new taste! Why have not I smeared on a tortilla: applesauce and peanut butter, ground beef with tomatoes, artichokes (dehydrogenated) and salsa, tuna with mayonnaise and mustard, vanilla pudding with strawberries ... However, my favorite dish is warmed melted cheddar, tortilla and a little salsa - it turns the space cheese quesadilla. This recipe I learned from Peggy Whitson (American biochemist, an astronaut, a participant of the 5th expedition to the ISS in 2002 and commander of Expedition 16 in 2007), when I was in space for the first time.

What to do in space with onion and garlic

And here's another little trick that I learned from Peggy Whitson: how to cook fried (? Baked stew) garlic in Russian preheater for food (it is usually warm up canned food and all banks). Fruits, onions and garlic, we bring Russian "Progress" and our shuttles. To prepare the garlic (and I add to it yet, and onions), take a packet of foil - from those in which the Russian kept his Dehydrate food - put into it garlic and coarsely shredded onions, add a little olive oil, is folded foil to bag I fit in the heater, and turn it on. The device works only 30 minutes, so you need to swim every half hour and turn it on again. When you repeat the process 4-5 times, you'll have a baked garlic and onions. Using these ingredients and some spices, for example, I prepared two kinds of tuna, one with baked onions and sweet mustard, the other - with onion, garlic, ginger paste and mayonnaise. And at Christmas I made from white tuna steaks, grilled Texas-style with lemon and garlic sauce. I even prepared Russian salad of crab sticks, corn, eggs (had to use a whole egg powder, from which we make omelets, though in a good need the usual boiled eggs). Just for fun, I added a little bit to get the fuck ... By the way, egg powder and corn - a nightmare space cooks, because they have almost no moisture. Corn loves to stick to everything around, including the spoon and egg powder - an ardent supporter of entropy (scatter in all imaginable directions!). I have some plans for the New Year and Russian Christmas, but they are rather vague.

How do I take a shower in space

Actually, we do not take a shower - we wiping with a damp sponge. Gravity is very helpful if you need to take a shower. Just to climb into the bath, turn on the water, and it flows to you from top to bottom, and then goes into the sewer. But if there is no force that pulls the water down, this orderly system do not really work. If you turn on the shower in space, water will flow from it, and so it will remain, gathering in one big drop. If you manage to separate the drop from the shower and it also will float in your face, you have to be very careful and make sure that water does not get into your nose and mouth (otherwise can not breathe). And even if all goes well, then you have to get rid of all the water - to the last drop, or by using special towels, or by air currents, which sleeves it in a safe place.