How does it feel like to be an astronaut?

Some astronauts feel dizzy and have an upset stomach during the first few days of a space flight as they get used to zero gravity. This feeling usually goes away after three or four days. After a few days almost everyone is used to zero gravity and feels great.

Is it stressful to be an astronaut?

Many stressors. Spaceflight can take its toll on astronauts, no matter how long they’re away from Earth. “Just being an astronaut is pretty stressful, because of the constant need to be able to perform at your highest possible potential,” Charles said.

How does it feel to be launched into space?

It feels like you are hanging upside down in your shoulder harness. This is simply because there is nothing pushing you back into your seat anymore. Everything floats, including you. In the space shuttle, astronauts are strapped in on their backs a few hours before launch.

How do astronauts handle stress?

Astronauts write in journals to express their feelings. Mindfulness and other coping strategies can help ease crew stress and psychologically reframe a situation to turn negatives into positives.

Are astronauts superhuman?

Stuck in a tube, managing multiple tasks, dealing with life-or-death emergencies—not a problem for astronauts like Chris Hadfield.

What is it like to be a NASA astronaut?

It is not all glory, games, fun and adventure. When you are first selected, you get to tour the country and visit all the NASA sites and get to bond as a class and future team. You are in the limelight and are treated like royalty for a brief period of time — and then the real world kicks in and you start training.

How do I become an astronaut?

Follow your dreams and choose a career that you have a passion for, and hopefully it will align with a need the Astronaut Office is looking to fill at that point in time. Your passion will ensure you will devote the hard work necessary to rise to the top of your field.

What is the most amazing thing about your spaceflights?

The most amazing thing about my spaceflights was how relaxing they were. New astronauts get so worried about fulfilling their duties that they sometimes get hours or days into a mission before stopping to watch the sun rise, even though it happens 16 times a day on orbit.

What’s it like to be on a Space Shuttle?

So on the shuttle we’d have to eat anything fresh—usually fruit like apples, oranges, and grapefruit—early in the mission. One of the strangest experiences in space is one of the simplest on Earth: sleeping. On the shuttle, you strap your sleeping bag to the wall or the ceiling or the floor, wherever you want, and you get in. It’s like camping.