10 tips for living in weightlessness
Science and Language (writing)
In space there's no up or down and astronauts don’t feel gravity because they are in a constant free fall. If they let go of a pen, it will floating around the station. If they push against a wall on one side of the station, they can get to the opposite side of the station zooming through the air. A Belgian ESA astronaut told the story that he even had to get used to typing on the computer: when he hit the keys too strongly, his body was pushed away as a reaction to the push on the keyboard. There’s not doubt that life without gravity is different!
Preparation: Divide the class into four groups, A, B, C and D, and ask them to each go to a different corner of the room. Each group should now think of as many tips as possible for astronauts living in space. Think of things like how to eat, to wash, to sleep, to move, to type on a computer, to clean, to play cards. Make sure you write all your ideas down. Now all groups come together in a 5-minute brainstorming session. All ideas are welcome!
Activity: Each group presents their results while the teacher tries to arrange all these tips by theme and counts how many suggestions were made by each group. Discuss and choose the best 10 suggestions for an astronaut living in space. Send your results to ISSeducationteam@esa.int