29 DAY IN THE LIFE: LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE AND ON THE GROUND CHAPTER 2 Chasing the Red Line Sunita Williams, Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33 Every day is different, but they all have one thing in common: the Red Line, which is either chasing you or you are chasing it (see Chapter 1, Figure 7). All activities are planned out—even exercising (mainly to accommodate all the crew members on the limited equipment). But that’s okay, because there is no way one individual could think of all the things that need to be done, or prioritize them. The main categories of activities are science, maintenance, public relations and outreach events, and robotics and spacewalks however, the categories also include installation of new or upgraded modules and systems, since the things need to be fixed or added on the inside and outside as the ISS continues to evolve. The activity subject matter can range from the mundane to the incredibly complicated. In any given week, you could be updating the on-board computers, setting up tools for a spacewalk, practicing grappling a free-flyer spacecraft, fixing the toilet, fixing the water system, inventorying food and supplies, sequencing DNA, setting up for fire experiments, taking your own blood samples, making contacts through Ham radio, and talking to the NASA administrator, a Queen, or even the President of the United States! The science never stops up here—we are in microgravity and we can’t escape. Even cool science experiments have mundane aspects, such as when we had to clean the aquarium and remove air bubbles— which, ironically, could kill the fish in weightlessness—for some Medaka fish we were studying. Of course, we need to plan time for exercise, eating, and hygiene as well. Whether I had two other crewmates, such as on my first expedition, or five as I did on my second visit, one key element was that everyone has a great sense of humor, even with all the different personalities. Humor is essential to living in an environment like this. We are always interacting with the people in Mission Control. They are our team, our family. Our mood on the ISS can dictate their mood in Mission Control. Likewise, their mood in Mission Control can dictate our mood on the ISS. We are symbiotic by the nature of our work together on this complex and extraordinary station in space. Mission Control watches our backs every night as they monitor the station system. This allows us all to sleep on the same schedule, thereby making us a stronger team. On the ISS, we have to monitor ourselves and our psychological health, as well as our physical health. You can work all the time, but everyone needs a break. Everyone needs a reserve in case of an emergency in the middle of the night. To function normally, the space station runs on a regular Earth workweek and workday. We emphasize taking a break for lunch, but each person needs to think ahead and plan his or her next meal. Some of it needs to be hydrated or heated up, which takes time for the water absorption. Best not to rush these things. So, in the process of grabbing a bag of coffee and heating up veggie quiche, we usually put some food in the heater to be ready for lunchtime. The Russian food is generally some type of meat with rice, noodles, and kasha, which is best heated up. It’s hearty food! Part of the fun is seeing what is available to eat. We eat out of a box for 10 days or so. We don’t open another box until that box is done. So, the philosophy was not to save something, because someone else will eat it. Eat what you think is best that day. There will be a new best thing the next day. Often on the weekend, we try to have a family dinner where everyone pitches in. We would all get our special food and spread it out on our table. One time, we had Azman’s sausages—something I was able to import from Cleveland—cooked and sliced. Yum! Everyone loved them. I was only able to save a couple for later. We had corn tortilla chips with bean dip and jalapenos. One of the very special packages we received from a recent Progress flight included fresh garlic, lemons, apples, and grapefruits fresh from Kazakhstan! Food and friendship are all part of the maintaining our health—both physical and psychological. Luckily, exercise is part of our daily routine, and it is a great stress reliever. Most folks also have space hobbies that help them deal with stress—hobbies such as being in contact with friends and family at home through the IP phone or net meetings, doing self-designed science experiments, taking videos and pictures, writing in a journal, doing social media, etc.