SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468
IN THEIR OWN WORDS Bill Oefelein's STS-116 Mission Blog
/Astronaut Bill Oefelein takes time to answer student questions and provide his thoughts about his training and STS-116 space shuttle mission./
*Dec. 16, 2006* -- Hi. First Blog from Space. As you may be able to imagine, we have been pretty busy. I don't have a lot of spare time, but let me share a few thoughts and try to answer some of your questions.
First, the launch was 10 times more exciting than I thought!! The sights and sounds and sensations were, literally, out of this world!
Space is fun! I quickly adapted to the zero gravity and have had no problems eating or sleeping. It's fun to eat "upside down" and sleep on the ceiling.
The sights are incredible. Whenever I can, I try to take a peek out the window. There is always something to see. We've seen thunderstorms, city lights, the Northern Lights, rivers, jungles, deserts, oceans, and so much more. It is quite an experience.
Mainly, though, we have been very busy re-wiring the space station, adding a new piece of hardware to the ISS truss, and transferring a lot of gear. The days are long, but we have a great crew and we work well together.
Unfortunately, I don't have time to answer all of your questions, but let me answer a few:
*Questions from Dillingham Elementary 5th Graders:* /Christopher: Do astronauts use any robots to help them in space?/ Yes. We have two robotic arms up here. I have operated the one on Discovery. /Sean: How do you get air to the ISS?/ We bring the air up on the Space Shuttle or Russian Progress re-supply ships. /Kenny : Do you have to be in the military to be an astronaut?/ No. In fact, most astronauts are not military.
/What happens if the astronauts get sick on the ISS?/ We have medicines and equipment, much like a paramedic, to take care of sicknesses and injuries.
/How do they take a shower if they are going to be up on the ISS for so long?/ We can't take showers. We take sponge baths with a wash cloth, a towel, soap and water. We just have to make sure our soap doesn't float away.
/How can we identify the ISS in the night sky from earth?/ The ISS will look like a bright star, quickly going across the sky. However, Alaska is far enough north that the ISS will not fly directly over it. Even with that, we are high enough that when we get close to Alaska, we can sneak peeks at the very southern part of the state. /Conner: How does zero gravity affect your body during long missions?/ It makes you lose bone density and muscle mass unless you exercise a lot.
/What happens if there is a leak in the ISS?/ We have procedures to take care of most emergencies we may come across and have received a lot of training and practiced many times in the event an emergency may arise.
Thanks for the great questions. I hope to have time later in the mission to write again. In the mean time, study hard and enjoy your upcoming Christmas break. And enjoy the snow for me. I don't get as much as I like these days.
Your friend - Bill