Alexander’s first week in space
06 June 2014
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst has now spent a week in space on the International Space Station. As he grows accustomed to floating in weightlessness, he has been busy learning about his new home, taking over experiments, drawing blood, keeping fit and, yes, cleaning the toilet.
Immediately after arrival on the morning of 30 May, Alex and his crewmates Reid Wiseman and Maxim Suraev held a short conference with family and friends on Earth. Alexander’s comment was: “It’s awesome up here!”
One of Alexander’s first experiments was relatively easy, a questionnaire about his headaches. Many astronauts suffer from headaches that have been described as “exploding”, and scientists want to find out more about who suffers most and when.
As with many experiments that make use of the Station, ESA’s space headache research is collecting data over many years and from multiple astronauts.
Home visit
Alexander and Reid were taken on tours of the Station – the size of a large six-bedroom house – and shown how the systems work by Station commander Steve Swanson. General maintenance and emergency procedures were run through for the new arrivals.
A more involving experiment for Alexander checked his eyes for NASA’s Ocular Health research into how astronauts’ eyes adapt to microgravity.
Alexander also replaced a lamp for a Japanese experiment that is looking at how plants resist the pull of gravity and grow upwards. This effect can only be studied in a laboratory in the absence of weight.
Just like any large house, the Station requires attention to more menial jobs. As Alexander’s colleagues spent time cleaning and packing waste items for removal, Alexander cleaned and maintained one of the two toilets. He has trained for this many times on Earth, but doing it in space was a new experience.
All astronauts on the Station spend two hours a day keeping fit on exercise machines. In addition to all these tasks and getting acclimatised, Alexander is sharing his experiences via social media – follow his mission at alexandergerst.esa.int
