Ask an Astronaut
| Copyright Holder (Photos) | ESA, NASA, Getty Images, S. Corvaja, L. Harnett, GCTC, UKSA, Yuri Kargapolov, B. Stafford, Max Alexander, Victor Zelentsov, Tim Peake, Tim Kopra, Scott Kelly |
| Copyright Holder (Illustrations) | Getty Images, Shutterstock |
| Illustrator | Ed Grace |
| Typeset by | Jouve (UK) |
| Printed and Bound by | Clays Ltd, St Ives plc |
| Copyright Holder (Cover/Jacket Art) | Getty Images, Shutterstock |
| Author photo/portrait | Marie Schmidt |
| Cover photo | NASA, ESA |
| First Published by | Century |
| Copyright Holder | ESA, Tim Peake |
| About/Subject | Astronomy |
| Format | Hardback |
| Language | English |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Copyright | 2017 |
| Pages / Font | 247 pages / 11.75/15.5 pt Times |
| ISBN 13 | 978-1-780-89817-9 |
| Barcode | 9 781780 898179 |
| EAN 5 | 90000 |
| Price | £20.00 |
| Chapters | List of Questions Introduction Launch Training Life and Work on the ISS Spacewalking Earth and Space Return to Earth Afterword: Looking to the Future Acknowledgements Photography Credits Introduction How do you become an astronaut? If you see 16 sunrises a day in space while orbiting Earth, when do astronauts celebrate New Year? Did you miss the weather on Earth when you were in space, and what did you miss the most? What was your luxury item on board? In the build-up to your mission, did you become less afraid of going into space, the more knowledge you acquired? Launch What does it feel like to sit on top of a 300-tonne rocket? Why do astronauts launch from Kazakhstan? How long do astronauts spend in quarantine before launch, and can anyone visit them? What do you do to prepare on the day of launch? Is it true that astronauts pee on the bus tyre, prior to launch? How did you all fit in that Soyuz capsule? How much computing power does the Soyuz have? How many 'g's do you experience on launch? When does the sky stop and the atmosphere become space? Why do rockets need to go so fast? How long does it take to get to space? How long does it take to get to orbit? What do astronauts actually do during launch - are you flying the spacecraft or is it done by computers? What happens if something does wrong during launch? Where would you land if the launch was aborted? How long does it take to get to the ISS? How do you rendezvous with the ISS? What was your scariest moment in space? What surprised you the most when you first got into space? Did you feel unwell when you first got to space? Who was the first person to greet you on the ISS when you opened the hatch? Training My oldest child (who has career ambitions of being an astronaut) would like to know: how, when and why did you decide to become an astronaut? How did your skills as a pilot transfer to your career as an astronaut? Are you more likely to become an astronaut if you join the military as a pilot or if you are a scientist? What separated you from the other candidates who applied to be an astronaut? How fit do you have to be to become an astronaut? My vision is not perfect. Can I still become an astronaut? How old was the youngest astronaut? How old was the oldest astronaut? What psychological training do you do to prepare for spaceflight? How long does it take to train to become an astronaut? What are the language requirements to become an astronaut? Did you train in the centrifuge, and did it make you feel sick? How do you train for weightlessness, here on Earth? What do astronauts do when not in space? What subjects do you have to studdy during mission training? Do all astronauts receive the same level of training? What was the worst part of training? What was the best part of training? What's the best advice you've received? Is it true that astronauts learn to sweat the small stuff? Life and Work on the ISSS What's a typical day like on board the International Space Station? What exactly is the International Space Station? What are all the different parts of the space station? But what's the point? What was the first thing you did when you arrived on the ISS? How do you go to the toilet in space? What happens to waste from the space station? How does the space station get water and oxygen? How long does it take to get used to floating in weightlessness? What's the best bit about floating? Why does the ISS use Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in space? What was your daily routine when there are 16 sunrises/sunsets every day? How did going up into space affect your sense of time? What's it like to sleep in space, and where do astronauts sleep? Do the astronauts all sleep at the same time? Did you dream differently in space, or dream of anything in particular? Which has been your favourite experiment, and why? What are the benefits of research done in space? Was there a favourite part of your day in space? Do you have time off? How do you spend your weekends? What's the grossest thing about living in space? Did you have any personal reading material, and what would be your choice of book to read in space? What surprised you most about the space station? Can you drink a cup of tea in space? Did you watch movies in space? How do you wash your clothes in space? Does your heart beat the same on the ISS as it does on Earth? How do you cut your hair and shave in space? What's the atmosphere on the ISS? What is your favourite button on the ISS, and what does it do? What was your favourite pastime in space? What kind of food do you eat in space? Does food taste different in space? What was your favourite space food? How did it feel when you first ate in space? Doesn't the food float back up? Is it true that you lose your appetite in space? What would happen if someone got sick or injured in space? What would happen if there was a fire on the space station? How fast is the Internet in space? Do you have Wi-Fi on the space station? How did you use Twitter and Facebook from space? What exercises can you do to keep fit in space? Was it hard running the London Marathon in space? What happens to sweat when you exercise in space? What did you pack to go to space? What was the funniest moment in space? What kind of watch do astronauts wear? What was your most essential item/tool on board? Spacewalking What do you remember as your most amazing experience on the International Space Station? When was the first-ever spacewalk? What was the best part of your spacewalk? Did you feel scared at any point? What was it like to wear the first Union Flag on a spacewalk? I've heard that astronauts can get 'the bends' in space. How is that possible, and what would you do to treat it? Do you have your own spacesuit or do you share it with other astronauts? How are the routes planned for spacewalks on the ISS? When you're out on a spacewalk, how do you go to the toilet? In scuba diving there is a syndrome known as 'fear of surfacing', where divers don't want to come up. Did you ever feel like this on your spacewalk? Why do astronauts train underwater for spacewalks? What's the most physically challenging thing you've done as an astronaut? Is it really true that Velcro was invented for astronauts to scratch their nose with, whilst in their spacesuit? This is what my grandpa told me, and I don't know whether to believe him or not... If this is true, did you have some Velcro inside your helmet? Was there anything that surprised you on your spacewalk, which really caught your eye? What would happen if you fell off the space station? What happens if you drop something on a spacewalk? Can you eat anything during a spacewalk? How do you stay warm when it is so cold in space? How do you keep cool in space? Is it hard to work in the dark, out in space? What would happen if you were hit by space debris during a spacewalk? What astronaut has been your hero or has inspired you in your career? Earth and Space Which is more beautiful from space, daytime Earth or night-time Earth? Can you see Earth's atmosphere from the space station - and what's it like? Which destinations would you now like to visit for the first time on Earth, having seen them from up in space? Can you see aircraft or ships from space? In your photos of aurorae, is this how they appear to the naked eye or are the colours more intense because of the camera expsoure? Can you see stars and planets from the space station, and do they look different? Why is it that in some pictures space looks black, with no sign of any stars or planets? Did being in space, and seeing Earth from space, change your perspective on the planet and life, or do you still feel the same? Does space smell? Is it noisy in space? Is there gravity in space? Why do you apear 'weightless' on the International Space Station? How do you weigh yourself in space? When you were in space, was there a risk of the ISS being hit by a meteor or piece of space junk? What would happen if the space station was hit by space debris? How problematic is space debris? How many times did you go around Earth during your flight? How far did you travel during your time in space? Can you see the Great Wall of China from space? Is there a formal protocol for 'first contact' with aliens? Return to Earth How long does it take to get back to Earth? Do you have to do any special training or preparation in space before coming home? Why don't you need a heat shield when leaving Earth, but you do need one on re-entry? Did you take any medicine to stop you feeling sick on the ride back to Earth? How do you get back to Earth, and how fast were you going during re-entry? How long does re-entry last and how many 'g's do you experience? How hot does the inide of the Soyuz descent capsule get during descent? And how is this controlled? What did you enjoy the most: launch or re-entry? The landing looks hard - did you have any bad injuries? What happens if something goes wrong during re-entry and you land off-course? What was it like getting your first smell of Earth after being in space? What happens after you've landed? When did you have your first cuppa after landing? When did you get to see your family again? What was the first 'proper' food you ate once you came back to Earth? What was it like to walk again, after being in weightlessness for so long? How did it feel to have your first proper shower after being on the ISS? Did your bring any souvenirs from space? Have you, or any other astronaut that you know of, ever come back to Earth and let go of something out of habit, expecting it to sit there, floating? What are the long-term health effects of spaceflight? Afterword: Looking to the Future If your next mission is not to the ISS, will you have to undergo a different type of training for wherever you may go to? |
| Notes | Jacket montage: front cover photo of Tim by Marie Schmidt, space texture and illustrations © Getty Images/Shutterstock; back cover photo courtesy of NASA/ESA. Printed and bound in Great Britain PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS 1. © ESA - S. Corvaja 2. © NASA 3. © NASA - L. Harnett 4. © Getty 5. © ESA 6. © NASA 7. © GCTC 8. © ESA 9. © UKSA 10. © GCTC - Yuri Kargapolov 11. © GCTC - Yuri Kargapolov 12. © NASA - B. Stafford 13. © NASA 14. © GCTC 15. © UKSA - Max Alexander 16. © NASA - Victor Zelentsov 17. © ESA - S. Corvaja 18. © ESA - S. Corvaja 19. © ESA - S. Corvaja 20. © ESA - S. Corvaja 21. © ESA - S. Corvaja 22. © Getty 23. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 24. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra) 25. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra) 26. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 27. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 28. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 29. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 30. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 31. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 32. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 33. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 34. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 35. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 36. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 37. © Getty 38. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly) 39. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly) 40. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) 41. © ESA / NASA (picture taken by NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra) 42. © Getty 43. © Getty Hardback endpapers © ESA / NASA (pictures taken by ESA Astronaut Tim Peake) |
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