in many ways living its face is just
like living at home back on earth
and in many other ways it's not one big
difference is how gravity seems to act
differently we all know that on earth if
you drop a ball gravity causes it to
fall to the ground and if you jump into
the air gravity pulls you back down we
feel the effects of Earth's gravity here
in space too but because we're all
falling around the earth it makes it
seem like we and everything else around
us are floating it's the same thing
that's happening to my friend on this
trampoline each time he goes up he falls
back towards the ground now watch what
happens when he lets go of the ball it
falls - but because they're falling
together the ball seems to him like it's
floating on the shuttle we are found in
an endless circle around the earth so if
you let go of something in space it
doesn't fall to the floor because the
floor is falling - and if you jump you
won't come back down the way you do on
the ground can you think of some ways
that this could make living in space
different from living on earth
while we're in space the Space Shuttle
would be our home it doesn't look much
like home but it has very much the same
comforts come on I'll show you your
house on earth has a kitchen and so does
the shuttle our kitchen uses a
convection oven and hot water to warm
our food each day we're in space we'll
use this kitchen to prepare our
breakfast lunch and dinner how many of
you have been told to pick up your toys
when you're finished playing with them
or they'll get lost this is true in
space too at home you probably have a
closet or a box to put your toys and
belongings in here on the shuttle we use
these drawers for our things and
whenever we finish using something we
put it away so that we'll always know
where it is these boxes with the sliding
doors are our beds they don't look very
comfortable but at the end of a long day
they feel just as good as the bed in
your room at home I know that most do
you really want to ask how do you go to
the bathroom in space well we go to the
bathroom right here in what we call the
WCS or waste collection system our
toilet looks a little different from the
one you have at home that's because
going to the bathroom in space is just a
little bit different than what we're
used to on earth
this toilet even has places to put our
feet so that we won't float away the big
question is where does the waste go well
I'll show you
the shuttles toilet has an airflow that
pulls the waste into the bottom of the
toilet where it stays until it can be
properly disposed of later the toilet
also has a urine collection tube that we
use when we have to urinate
and that is how we use the bathroom in
space a lot of people ask us why do you
go to space well we go to space for the
same reasons that you go to school to
work and to learn now the best way for
you to see that is to join us for a day
in space I'm sure you'll have fun so
come on a day in space begins just like
a day on earth
we first have to get out of bed and then
we have to take care of our personal
needs back home a lot of people start
their day by taking a bath or a shower
but that doesn't work so well in space
remember up here things float even water
but we still need to stay clean because
no one wants to spend eight days cooped
up with someone who hasn't taken a bath
so we take our bath with a soapy
washcloth the same way you would wash
your face on earth we can even wash our
hair with a special shampoo that doesn't
eat water another part of almost
everyone's morning routine is breakfast
it's the most important meal of the day
this is true in space too and just
because we're in space doesn't mean that
we have to eat some kind of weird food
this morning we're having a balanced
breakfast of oatmeal scrambled eggs and
orange juice
another thing we still must do even
though we're in space is brush our teeth
but you can see that up here it can be
more fun no matter where you are almost
everyone has a job to do each day at
this point in your life going to school
is your job you are learning the things
you'll need to know as you grow up we
have jobs to do on the shuttle too and
just like you are doing in school we're
learning - our main job on this trip is
to study the Earth's atmosphere this
will help us to better understand
changes that are taking place in the
blanket of air that surrounds the earth
while we're up here we are also going to
launch and retrieve a satellite this
satellite will help scientists to learn
about the Sun and how it affects our
earth when we're working in space we
don't have a lot of room that means that
we have to watch out for each other and
work together as a team it's the same
way you work together with your
classmates in school we all know that
the best results happen when we work
together but whether we're in space in
school or anywhere else we have to
remember that little things we do can
affect others just think what it would
be like if a crew member were careless
and broke or lost a tool that someone
needed for an important experiment can
you think of some things like that that
have happened in your classroom daily
exercise is important and on earth most
of us get all the exercise we need by
doing things that are fun but it's not
the same in space just think if you
could float everywhere you want it to go
your arms and legs wouldn't have to work
very hard and soon they would become
weak that's what it's like in space so
we have to exercise each day to keep our
bodies strong
eating dinner in space is something we
look forward to not just because we're
hungry but because it gives us a chance
to spend time together when we're not
working time for relaxation is important
too so that we can get our minds off our
work what kind of things do you like to
do to relax well boys and girls it's
been a long day in space and I need to
get my rest to be ready for a big day
tomorrow too
we're glad that you could spend this
time with us and we hope that you've
learned that living in space is not so
much different from the things you do
everyday at home while we're sleeping
why don't you and your classmates talk
about what you've learned today and can
someone hit the Lights