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.”
“Dealing with the frustration of difficult working positions, equipment floating away, stability, computer failures, bad procedures, disappointing outcomes wears on one after a while.”
Each day, Moscow and Houston send a schedule with specific tasks assigned to each crewmate. Two calls are made with Ground Control, one in the morning to clarify and one in the evening for next steps. Even weekends have tasks to be done, systems to be repaired, and educational programs to be completed.