How did the crew get along in such a small space?Well. We took turns choosing the dinner music.
How did you talk to your family from space?A video call on the weekend, when the link was up.
How long did you train before your first flight?Years. Far longer than the flight itself.
Were you scared, and what did you do about it?A little. I went through my checklist one line at a time.
What did Earth look like the first time you saw it from space?Brighter than any photo, with a thin blue edge.
What did space teach you about home?That it is one small place, and we all share it.
What did you miss about Earth while you were up there?Rain on a window, and fresh bread.
What did you take with you from home?A photo of my family and my grandmother's thimble.
What did you want to be before you wanted to be an astronaut?A bus driver. I liked the big steering wheel.
What do you miss about space now that you are home?Flying down a corridor with one push.
What does it feel like to float?Like the moment at the top of a swing, all day long.
What does the word astronaut mean?It comes from the Greek words for star and sailor.
What is one thing about space that films get wrong?The noise. Up there I mostly heard fans.
What is the most beautiful thing you saw out of the window?Lightning flickering across a whole ocean at night.
What surprised you most in your first hour in space?How quiet my legs were. They had nothing to do.
What was the hardest everyday thing to do without gravity?Putting things down. Nothing stays where you leave it.
What was your job on board?I ran experiments and fixed whatever stopped working.
What would you tell someone who wants to be an astronaut?Learn to be good on a team. The rest can be taught.
Which moment on board made the whole crew laugh?A crewmate lost a sock for three weeks. It was behind a panel.
Would you go again tomorrow if they asked?I would already be packing.
Launch 12
Did you have a good-luck habit before the flight?I wore the same socks as on my last exam.
How did you pass the time while waiting on the launch pad?Counted bolts on the hatch. There were a lot.
How long did the ride to space seem to last?Minutes. It was over before I could take it all in.
How loud is it inside the capsule at liftoff?More rumble than roar. I felt it in my ribs.
What did you eat on launch morning?Eggs and toast. Nothing adventurous.
What do you wear for launch, and how long does it take to put on?A pressure suit. Getting in takes help and patience.
What does launch feel like in your body?Like a heavy hand pressing me into the seat.
What does the crew say to each other just before liftoff?Not much. Somebody always says, "Here we go."
What was the first sign that you were weightless?My checklist floated up on its string.
What were you thinking in the last minute of the countdown?"Remember this." Then I looked at my checklist.
Who helped you into your seat, and what did they say?The suit crew. One said, "See you in six months."
Who was watching from the ground, and could you wave?My family, miles away. I waved at the camera anyway.
Floating 13
Did you ever lose something that floated off?A spoon. It turned up at an air vent two days later.
Does floating ever stop feeling special?No. Some mornings I flew to breakfast just because I could.
How do you exercise when you weigh nothing?Strapped to a treadmill with bungee cords, two hours a day.
How do you keep your tools from drifting away?Clip them, tie them or stick them to the wall.
How do you move from one end of the station to the other?Push off with a fingertip and steer with your hands.
How do you stay in one place when you need to work?Hook your feet under a rail.
How long did it take to stop bumping into things?About a week. The doorframes forgave me.
Is it hard to write or type while floating?You hold on with one hand, or you drift off mid-sentence.
What happens to your hair up there?It stands straight out. Mine looked surprised for months.
What happens when a drop of water gets loose?We chased it with a towel. It took two of us.
What is the best trick you learned to do in the air?A slow somersault while holding a drink bag.
What was it like to go outside on a spacewalk?Slow, careful work, with the whole planet under my boots.
Which way is up when nothing falls down?Wherever my head was pointing. I got lost upside down once.
Eating and sleeping 14
Do you dream differently in space?I dreamed about walking. Ordinary, heavy walking.
How do you brush your teeth?A little water, a brush, and toothpaste you can swallow.
How do you drink without a cup?From a bag, through a straw.
How do you keep your dinner from floating away?The fork sticks to the tray with a magnet.
How do you know when it is bedtime if the sun keeps rising?We follow the clock, not the window.
How do you stay still while you sleep?The sleeping bag is fixed to the wall.
How do you wash without a shower?Wet wipes, and a shampoo you do not rinse out.
What did the crew do for fun when the work was done?Watch the planet go by, or call home.
What does food taste like in space?Duller than at home, so I reached for the hot sauce.
What food did you miss most?Pizza, with a crust that crunches.
What happens when a delivery of fresh food arrives?Everyone goes straight for the fruit.
What was your favorite meal on board?Noodles with far too much chili sauce.
Where do you sleep on a space station?In a booth the size of one person, in a sleeping bag.
Why are crumbs a problem?They drift into the equipment, so we eat carefully.
The view 12
Could you find your hometown?I found the bend in the river and guessed from there.
Did the Earth look big or small to you?It filled the window. It only felt small later.
Did you ever stop work just to look out?Every day. Nobody blames you for it.
Did you take photos, and which one is your favorite?Hundreds. One of a storm shaped like a comma.
How many sunrises did you see in a day?Fifteen or sixteen. We went around every hour and a half.
What can you recognize on Earth from up there?Coastlines, big rivers, and my home lake on a clear day.
What did you look for first each morning?Which ocean we were over.
What do the stars look like from space?Sharp, and so many that I stopped counting.
What does night look like on Earth from above?Cities glow like spilled glitter, and the sea is black.
What does the edge of the Earth look like?A thin blue line, thinner than you would hope.
What weather can you see from space?Whole storms turning, and lightning at night.
Which window was your favorite, and why?The big bay window that looks straight down.
Training 13
Did you have to learn another language?Yes, enough to work with crewmates from other countries.
How do you practice floating before you go?Short spells in an aircraft that flies steep arcs.
How do you train for a spacewalk?Hours in a bulky suit, repeating each step until it is dull.
How fit do you have to be?Fit enough to work long days. Not a champion.
How many times did you rehearse the launch?So many that the real one felt familiar.
Was there a test you had to take twice?Tying knots in thick gloves. Three times, in fact.
What are astronauts called in other countries?Russian crews are called cosmonauts. Same job.
What did training teach you about yourself?That I go quiet when I am tired, so now I say so.
What did you have to know by heart before they let you fly?Every system, well enough to fix it half asleep.
What did you have to learn that you never expected?How to cut hair. Someone has to.
What did you study at school that helped the most?Math, and working in a group.
What happens in a simulator?The trainers break things and you fix them.
Who taught you the most?An engineer who made me explain every switch back to her.
Coming home 12
How has seeing Earth from space changed an ordinary day?I look up more, and complain about weather less.
How long before you could walk normally?A few days of wobbling, with a hand on the wall.
What did fresh air smell like after months inside?Grass and rain. I just stood there.
What did you bring home from space?A mission patch and a notebook full of sketches.
What did you keep dropping?Cups. I let go and expected them to float.
What do you tell children who ask if they could go one day?Yes. Start by being curious about everything.
What does it feel like to come back down?Bumpy, bright outside the window, then a hard thump.
What was strange about your own bed?The pillow pushed back.
What was the first thing you ate back on Earth?A fresh apple, handed to me still cold.
What was the first thing you noticed about gravity?My head. It weighed far more than I remembered.
Where would you like to fly next?The Moon, if there is a spare seat.
Who met you when you landed?The recovery team first, then my family the next day.
How it works
These questions to ask astronauts begin with the ones a whole room wants answered: the first sight of Earth, what floating feels like, whether it was frightening. Six more groups follow a flight from launch to coming home.
Read the full guide
Top questions to ask an astronaut
The sheet opens on twelve of the twenty in Top ones to start with. For a talk with time for more, set the box under Print this list to one part of the flight: Launch, Floating, The view, Training or Coming home.
Daily life on a space station
Eating and sleeping holds the fourteen that children ask first: how you drink without a cup, why crumbs are a problem, how you wash without a shower. The example answers are invented, in the voice of someone who has lived on a space station, and name no real astronaut or mission.
Questions and answers
What are 10 good questions to ask an astronaut?
Ten that suit any astronaut: the first sight of Earth, floating, the hardest everyday job, fear, the crew, what they took along, what films get wrong, what they miss, the funniest moment, going again. All are in Top ones to start with.
What can kids ask an astronaut at a school talk?
Plain questions about ordinary days: where do you sleep, what happens to your hair up there, how do you brush your teeth. Every question on the sheet is short enough for a child to read aloud.
How do astronauts sleep in space?
On the International Space Station each long-stay crew member has a booth the size of one person, with a sleeping bag and a reading lamp. Visiting crew fix sleeping bags to a wall. The station keeps one clock time, so bedtime follows the clock.
How many sunrises does an astronaut see in a day?
On the International Space Station, fifteen or sixteen: the station circles the Earth about 15.5 times a day, once every 93 minutes. One question in The view asks how many the astronaut saw.