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.
“Here on ISS the time and the miles flow by at breathtaking speed. We mark our accomplishments by the week of successful tasks completed, and by the number of remarkable photographs we’ve been able to take—maybe because we want to try to permanently brand our brains with these sights.”
"I had a good day yesterday and was actually able to do real science for the first time. It was fun and interesting. Much of the science we do is just turning equipment on or off or cleaning out a glove box or whatever, but this was actual real science for a couple of hours. I loved it.”
"Had some good quality time in the Cupola. Words cannot describe the view and the feeling of looking back on Earth. I am definitely one lucky person to have this opportunity.”
“Riding on the [bike] today listening to my music… The song reminded me of the days when I dreamed of being an astronaut. Now I am living in space and preparing for a spacewalk. Wow!”