Thse insights have been pulled from the individual experiences of astronauts and cosmonauts recorded in published first person accounts — journals, diaries, debriefs, and post-flight reflections.As this database includes the personal, subjective experiences from a diversity of flyers, they may sometimes contradict, but together they provide a more holistic, if messy, picture of life in space. To learn more about how these categories were developed, please see this related publication.
“I could tell there was some stress in the air because there were a couple very short tempered exchanges between us this morning. I have come to recognize these moments as relating to stress and I saw them often in training too… All it takes is a little direct communication and a couple jokes to clear the air and that is exactly how the morning proceeded.”
“After dinner, we went over to the Russian segment with gifts, per tradition, and had some chocolate pudding cake.”
“We watched The Avengers. It was a fun movie to watch as a crew. The BHP [Behavioral Health and Performance] folks do a great job supporting us and we are lucky to have them.”
“I also think it is best to give people their space and not push the social things on people every day. We all need a break from each other at times.”
“Had corn chips, jalapeños, salsa, and Russian cheese last night. Just the three of us on the USOS side. Was very nice to have something different. Into my third week on ISS, a small special event like that has more meaning and buoyant effect on my spirits than during the first two weeks.”
“Watching [World Cup] soccer on the laptop via Ku uplink has become the community activity of late. …There is something great about watching live major sporting events up here. Gives a good connection to family and friends.”