The term astronaut means ‘sailor

amongst the stars’.

AstronautsAn astronaut is someone who is trained to travel in a spacecraft, live in space and carry out scientific experiments.

Did you know??Click the question mark for an interesting fact!

AstronautsIt takes several years to train to become an astronaut.

In this time, astronauts have to learn about science, space technology and how the International Space Station (ISS) works. They also have to be trained in basic medical care, learn how to scuba dive and also how to speak Russian!

Tim Peake is a British astronaut who lived and worked on the International Space Station from December 2015 to June 2016.

Photo courtesy of NASA(@Wikimedia Commons.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Where Do Astronauts Live in Space?Astronauts live on the International Space Station (ISS). It is a large spacecraft and laboratory that orbits the Earth.

It is used for carrying out research on the effect of living and working in space.

The ISS is made up of different parts called modules. These are where the astronauts sleep, live and carry out experiments.

• The ISS travels around the Earth at 27,700 km/hr.• It completes 16 orbits of the Earth a day.• It travels 350km above the Earth. • It is big enough to cover a football playing field!

Did you know??

What Do Astronauts Wear?

Click the question mark for an interesting fact!When astronauts go on a spacewalk, they need to wear a protective spacesuit.

x+Helmet – the visor protects the astronaut’s eyes from the strong rays of the Sun.

x+Camera (on helmet) – used to send pictures back to Earth.

x+ Radio – used to talk to other astronauts and Mission Control.

Spacesuit – keeps the astronaut’s body at the right temperature; it can get very cold and very hot in space.

Gloves – have a good grip. Astronauts need to train to carry out tricky tasks in these thick gloves

Display and Control Module (on the front of the suit) – the astronaut can control the spacesuit using these switches.

Primary Life Support System (on the back of the suit) – carries oxygen so that the astronaut can breathe. Water is also carried in this pack.

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How Do Astronauts Sleep in Space?Sleeping on board the ISS is a bit different for astronauts than it is for you at home.

Zero gravity means that the astronauts float around so they need to sleep in sleeping bags that they attach to the walls, ceiling or floor. This means that they will not bump into anything as they sleep! Crew members also have their own cabins to sleep in. Click on the picture for a tour of the

sleeping quarters on board the ISS!

Photo courtesy of NASA(@Wikimedia Commons.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Discover

What Do Astronauts Eat and Drink?

Astronauts can eat many of the same foods that youeat at home but the way they are packaged has to be different because food and crumbs will fly aroundin zero gravity!

Food and drink may be packaged in aluminium foil or canned. Astronauts may need to add water to food if it is freeze-dried or they may need to heat it up before they eat it.

Photo courtesy of NASA(@Wikimedia Commons.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

What Do Astronauts Eat and Drink?

This may include frozen meals, frozen vegetables and desserts, as well as refrigerated dairy products. They are provided with snacks and even ketchup!

Photo courtesy of NASA(@Wikimedia Commons.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Astronauts get to choose their favourite foods before they go into space

An astronaut is a person who is training to travel in space. NASA is the agency that trains United States men and women to serve as commanders, pilots, and mission specialists aboard spacecraft. Astronauts have to be highly trained to go out into space.

Space is a very challenging place to explore. There is no air in space, so there is nothing to breathe. It is very cold, unless the sun is shining onto you - and then, without air to protect you, the rays of the sun would soon burn you!

To survive in space you need a suit that protects your body from the heat and cold, and surrounds you with air to breathe. Space suits are pressurised, meaning they are full of air to support your body, which is why they look puffed up.

A space suit is like a tiny spaceship for one. It is a very complicated machine, with air conditioning, heating, air to breathe and water to drink. It even has a built in toilet!

Some space suits attach to a rocket powered backpack, which allows the astronaut wearing it to fly around in space.

How are they different from the space suits of today?

Invented 80 years ago. Invented less than 10 years ago.

Neil Armstrong

• Do Research and write about Neil Armstrong in this slide and the nextwith pictures.

The very first astronauts who went up into space ate some interesting things! A lot of their food was ground up and put in tubes that looked like toothpaste! Can you imagine squeezing your lunch out like toothpaste?

Today though, astronauts have food choices that are pretty much the same ones we have. They can eat chicken, peanut butter, and candy. They can drink coffee, tea, and orange juice. A nutritionist (a person who studies how to make good food choices) carefully plans menus for astronauts in space, so that the astronauts stay healthy!

Astronauts even have an oven to cook with. Eating in space is a bit tricky though because there is no gravity! Things float! Food packages have to be attached to trays with Velcro. Drinks have to be in pouches and sucked out with straws! Salt and pepper actually come in a liquid form because if you shook salt and pepper in space, it would all just float away in the air!

If you were an astronaut...

▪ What 5 things would you like to explore in space?

▪ Why would you want to go to space?

▪ What experience would you most look forward to?

▪ How might you feel going into space?

▪ Which planet would you go to? Why?

▪ What food would you need?

▪ Travelling to space takes a LONG time. What would you take with you?

Answer the questions here…