How to live in zero gravity: Take a tour of the International Space Station

Sure, we know theres no screaming in space. But theres also no flushing. And no hair brushing.

Pay attention, because these are things you too can learn by watching former International Space Station Commander Sunita Williams walkor should we say, float her waythrough a typical morning in space.

Spoiler alert: Zero gravity is a pain in the neck, and other places.

First, Williams is a perfect host for a video tour: Shes a veteran space traveler with 195 days of space flightthe longest time in space for a woman. And she lived on the space station for four months.

As the astronaut explains on the NASA video, sleeping on the space station is very different from snoozing in your comfy bed on planet Earth. Instead, there are sleep pods and sleeping bagsand it doesnt matter if your bed is located upside down or sideways. Your body wont know the difference. Each cubby also comes equipped with a docked laptop and personal items, like clothes.

Once you get up, its time for the morning routine. Tooth brushing isnt all that foreignand yes, you still do it, even so far from home. The toothpaste is sticky, as Williams explains, and stays on the brush. Even the water cooperates from a tube, although some escapes into a bubble that Williams catches and swallows.

And, as Williams shows with her cloud of hair floating anywhere but on her head, every day is a bad hair day. "See how much better the brush makes my hair look?" She laughs, as she runs a brush through her hair, which continues to stand on end. She adds, "I'm just joking. It still stands up straight." Hair styling seems like a pointless exercise.

However, there are some activities that cant be skipped, and the toilet is one of them. Or rather, two of them. Suffice to say, suction is involved, as is good aim, in the orbital outhouse, as she calls it. Well let you watch to get the details.

Easier to digest: details of making and eating breakfast. The space station kitchen is stocked with American favorites like cereal, eggs and breadsome freeze dried and needing water, others ready to eat. Japanese and Russian foods are also available: It is, after all, an international space station.

Williams confides that the package labeled snacks is the candy stash. The scientist also admits to a Fluffernutter habit, and the space station actually keeps a jar of Fluff on hand so she can indulge (stored in a zip-locked compartment, natch).

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How to live in zero gravity: Take a tour of the International Space Station