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.
An evening ritual for one crew was to gather around the Russian segment's dining table for dinner at 6:30 to share a meal and stories. When the food gets repetitive, the crew combines different parts of different meals together to make new recipes.
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.
Given that days start at 4AM GMT, 'lights out' is at 7:30PM GMT. This time is used for crew to chat with each other, call family on Earth, and take personal time for hobbies and reflection.
Given the lack of running water, the crew has had to 'improvise' elements of hygiene - using wet wipes and towels, needing to swallow toothpaste after brushing, wearing a water bag over your head to wash hair.