178
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Who was the first human to sleep - perchance to dream - on the Moon?
(A) who (if anyone) was the first human to actually be asleep (that is to say, presumably inside the lander) - not just a scheduled sleep time - on the Moon?
It depends on your definition of sleep. ...
- 167k
152
votes
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Do astronauts use plumber's bifocals?
Well, at least during the Space Shuttle era, some did.
I remember, as I aged into my 40's, getting disgruntled during training events in the Shuttle Mission Simulator, as I was beginning to have ...
- 4,175
133
votes
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Could Apollo astronauts stand up if they fell on the moon?
I believe it was John Young, during an Apollo 16 EVA fell to the lunar surface. Though awkward, he got up unassisted by attempting a series of what looks like push-ups until he was able to get ...
- 6,907
77
votes
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How can astronauts float in space without being affected by the gravitational force of nearby objects?
Objects in orbit are attracted to each other, it's just their mass is small enough that the force of gravity between them is infinitesimal. Gravitational acceleration is dependent on mass and distance....
- 19.9k
75
votes
Did the Apollo astronauts ever take any medications while on their mission in order to calm their nerves?
From the Apollo Program Summary Report:
All missions used skin cream to treat irritation caused by the biosensors.
Apollo 7: All three crew members developed colds (which led to the infamous "mutiny")...
- 47.7k
66
votes
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Is the Skylab 4 mutiny just a myth?
Background
I believe the astronomy.com article is essentially accurate. The story of the Skylab 4 "mutiny" or "strike" has been greatly exaggerated. The crew took a scheduled rest day instead of ...
- 167k
60
votes
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When did Jack Swigert realize that he forgot to file his taxes?
Jack Swigert realized that he forgot to pay his taxes around the first hour of the second day. Here's the dialogue from the Apollo 13 transcript: Note, Jack Swigert is the CMP (Command Module Pilot), ...
- 5,908
58
votes
Could Apollo astronauts stand up if they fell on the moon?
As always, the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal is a treasure trove of annotated examples. During the later (J) missions in particular, Ed Fendell, remotely operating the rover's TV camera, managed to ...
- 1,430
57
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If an astronaut needs to go to the toilet during launch, what can they do and what do they need to do?
They use three high-tech procedures:
They schedule and ration their fluid and food intake.
They go to the bathroom before the trip.
They wear diapers, sorry, I meant Maximum Absorbency Garment.
In ...
- 18k
53
votes
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Did any astronauts on a mission complain about waking up?
There are at least two papers by Jack Stuster on an ISS crew conditions study: Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement: Review and Analysis of Astronaut Journals. They anonymize ...
- 10.1k
51
votes
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Do astronauts live longer than earthlings?
Correlation is not causation.
The time dilation effects are indeed present, but they account for making the astronauts "younger" by a couple milliseconds over their lifetime. Not something detectable ...
- 54.9k
46
votes
Why did NASA send two astronauts to the moon instead of one?
EVA suits are very difficult for a single person to put on by themselves, so another person was required to help the other astronaut put on their EVA suit. At the very least, it is much easier to do ...
- 121k
46
votes
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Did the astronauts seated on the space shuttle mid-deck have responsibilities during reentry and landing?
There were no nominal activities for the middeck crew related to flying the vehicle. There were no switches or controls on the middeck accessible to seated crewmembers in the ascent/entry seats. The ...
- 178k
45
votes
What are the most serious injuries that astronauts have suffered while in orbit?
The Mars Society has a good indication of what the most serious medical issues have been in space flight. These include:
A number of cases where the gloves leaked in an EVA. (STS-37, Mir Space ...
- 121k
45
votes
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Have there ever been people trapped in a shut down spacecraft?
Seeing as the answer is "no" (As per @DarkDust), I thought I'd add a situation that's similar.
There was a short period aboard Mir after the collision with progress where all astronauts were without ...
- 9,377
44
votes
When the ISS accelerates, do the astronauts feel it?
The answer to the question, "Do the astronauts feel the station moving?" is yes, definitely, but sometimes in an "indirect" fashion.
During Space Shuttle mission STS-109, when floating in my sleeping ...
- 4,175
38
votes
How tall do you have to be to be an astronaut?
Straight from the NASA website, there are actually just a few requirements you need to meet to become an astronaut:
A Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, or ...
- 5,626
37
votes
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When/where did the cosmonauts fight wolves?
The first manned Soviet flight was Vostok 1 in 1961, and the first Soviet flight with a multiperson crew was Voskhod 1 in 1964. The Wikipedia article that you linked intends to say that Soyuz 1 was ...
- 23.8k
37
votes
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What happens to astronaut sweat on the ISS?
They keep the ISS at a pretty comfortable temperature and humidity level, so there's not much sweat accumulation except when they're working out. For that, they use towels.
The sweat that they do ...
- 17.2k
36
votes
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What are the "unpleasant effects" of having a cold in microgravity?
This description of the Apollo 7 mission from NASA contains a more detailed description:
Mucus accumulates, fills the nasal passages and does not drain from the head. The only relief is to blow ...
- 463
36
votes
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Why was there a minimum height for astronauts?
Everything that must interface with the human body must be designed to fit a certain range of body sizes. For example, in the early days of shuttle when airline-like operations were envisaged, the ...
- 178k
35
votes
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Do Astronauts have their appendix removed?
No, but it is being considered, in particular for long duration deep space missions like going to the Moon. ISS astronauts could return to Earth in a short enough period of time that they could ...
- 121k
34
votes
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Why did NASA send two astronauts to the moon instead of one?
Even before Kennedy's "we choose to go to the Moon" speech, NASA was working on concepts for Moon missions.
Dr. Robert Gilruth, Director of the Manned Spacecraft Center: "Even before the President'...
- 126k
33
votes
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Were any of the Apollo astronauts smokers and did that cause any problems?
In the early years of the Space program, smoking everywhere was considered normal. But NASA was ahead of its time. After members of the "Original Seven" were seen smoking on TV, NASA was ...
- 3,235
32
votes
Could Apollo astronauts stand up if they fell on the moon?
Despite Charlie Duke's concern about it, given that the PLSS is massive, and would shift an astronaut's center of gravity far back from their natural distribution, it would be surprising if the ...
- 167k
32
votes
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Would an astronaut experience a force during a gravity assist maneuver?
If the only acceleration is due to the large mass's gravity, and the mass is not exceptionally large, or exceptionally close (i.e. close approach to a black hole or a neutron star), the astronaut will ...
- 167k
30
votes
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How long does it take to get from a spacewalk to being inside the ISS and out of your suit in an emergency?
Although not the incident you are referring to, an incident outside the ISS in 2013 during EVA 23 is a good reference point for your question -- where Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano had water ...
- 4,350
30
votes
Have there ever been people trapped in a shut down spacecraft?
No, there have not. So far all astronauts have made it back to earth, though not all of them alive. The only casualties in space (above the Kármán line) are the crew of Soyuz 11 who were still in ...
- 12.5k
30
votes
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Who were the youngest and oldest persons in space?
As of October 13, 2021, the oldest person to fly in space is Canadian actor William Shatner (T.J. Hooker, Boston Legal), aged 90. This was a brief suborbital flight above the Kármán line on Blue ...
- 167k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible