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Scott Kelly, NASA astronaut, is set to spend an entire year living on the International Space Station (ISS). He’s taken to Twitter to post photos and answer any questions that space fans might have. Anyone can send him a question using the hashtag “#YearInSpace” or follow his answers to other questions by looking for the same hashtag.
One such event took place this past Saturday, when Kelly made time to respond to his fellow microblog users. As expected, some of his answers were thoughtful and interesting, while others were funny, and others were completely random.
When president Barak Obama complemented the NASA astronaut on his photos and asked him if he ever freaks out when he looks out the window, Kelly said that he doesn’t freak out about anything, except getting a question on Twitter from the president of the United States.
When asked about more mondaine things such as how does someone take a shower in space, Kelly answered that astronauts use wet towels. He went on to add that he is amazed by all of the things that people can get used to when they have no other choice.
Keeping in shape was another subject that space enthusiasts were curious about. Kelly answered that he does exercise, and quite a lot – six (6) days each week, and his sessions last for about two (2) hours each day. He typically focuses on cardio and strength training.
When a fellow Twitter user asked him whether or not astronauts on the International Space Station can follow sports, Kelly informed everyone that they have ESPN, and it was actually on at the time of the conversation. As far as what his favorite team is, he mentioned it’s the Houston Texans.
Quite possibly one of the inevitable questions in the world today was also brought up – do astronomers living in space get to use smartphones? Kelly quipped that while they don’t have iPhones, they have iPads instead.
And on the topic of communication, the NASA astronaut shared that he doesn’t get to use FaceTime while living on the International Space Station, but he does have another videoconferencing software that he uses to talk to his friends and family members.
An interesting fact is that he sleeps for about six (6) or seven (7) hours each night and dreams, or better said remembers his dreams, more often than he does when he’s on Earth.
When someone asked him is the Sun is “extremely ridiculously blinding out there”, Kelly humorously answered that yes, it is incredibly hot and bright, “it’s like looking into the Sun”.
He also explained that the task he found most difficult to perform during his time on the International Space Station so far has been repairing the spacesuit he wears outside when he goes on a spacewalk.
As for the “glamorous” daily tasks, repairs and assignments that he personally absolutely has to before anything else, Kelly informed that he spends a lot of time managing the water – “putting urine in, taking water out”.
On the topic of pop culture, a user asked the NASA astronaut if anyone on the International Space Station watches the Alien movies right before going up there. Kelly said that he’s not sure, but he also mentioned that they’ve watched the movie Gravity on the Space Station.
Image Source: gannett-cdn.com
