Picture provided by NASA

     Today we can do what people have dreamed of for centuries, travel into space. The first man that went into space was a Russian; his name was Yuri Gagarin. He was launched into space on April 12, 1961. Astronauts have to train for a long period of time in order to be successful in space. Astronauts’ bodies must be in perfect condition to stand the stresses of space. But the question still remains, what do the astronauts do in space?

     How do the astronauts train to go into space? Most of the early astronauts were highly skilled pilots that had quick reactions. But today many astronauts are scientists and engineers. Astronauts train for a long time in order to learn the skills to travel into space. They practice flight procedures in simulators, rehearse experiments, and go to lectures. Astronauts can train for weightlessness on Earth by traveling in a plane that flies in a tight arc. The other way is to swim in a tank of water.

Picture provided by NASA

     Astronauts must also be trained for the unpleasant ride into space. When the astronauts train for this they are spun and tumbled around until they are sick and dizzy. Their hearts and lungs are exercised until the point where they almost fail. They also have to deal with intense vibration, extremes of heat and cold, and lack of air. They are also locked into a tiny chamber to get used to confinement. One of the machines to train with is called the centrifuge. This teaches astronauts to withstand extreme G-force. G-force is the gravitational pull your body feels when it accelerates or decelerates. This may make a person feel heaver than normal.

     Traveling into space is a strange experience for human beings. In orbit there is no gravity. Since objects have no weight it causes problems for the astronauts. Astronauts cannot walk because they have nothing to keep their feet on the floor. Objects will not stay where the astronauts place them because there is no up or down in space. Usually, astronauts eat by squeezing food into their mouths from a tube and they drink in a similar way. They wash themselves with wet towels or in a vacuum device that sucks up water droplets. To sleep, astronauts zip themselves in sleeping bags that are attached to their spacecraft. To sit in space, the chairs have to be fixed to the floor of the space craft; the astronauts then can grip the chair with their legs and slip their feet into straps.

     What do astronauts do in space? Astronauts do many experiments while they are in space. They may experiment with living things and see how they are affected by weightlessness. Sometimes the astronauts may leave their spacecraft to make repairs or to collect data from an outside camera. This requires the astronauts to wear a space suit.

     Why explore space? Space is there and it is waiting to be explored. Astronauts have to do abundant amounts of work that includes hard labor and dangerous explorations. Astronauts’ bodies must be in perfect condition to stand the stresses of space. By exploring space mankind can learn more about the universe and what it is made of and how we fit into it. What was once an idea is now an accomplishment.

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