Making the Space Station a Home

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Prepping the International Space Station for a larger crew is the ultimate in high-end home remodeling.

It takes some planning to prepare a small space for new roommates, especially if the apartment is 220 miles above the planet. NASA engineers have been developing space-ready versions of familiar fixtures to prepare for an expansion of the International Space Station's crew, which this year will double to six. Engineers must build household items that balance space, power consumption, weight and repairability. "Those tradeoffs were made at the very beginning [of the gear's design]," says Marybeth Edeen, who heads vehicle hardware development for NASA's ISS program. The systems that rely on chemistry and fluid dynamics, such as plumbing, are tougher to develop than a new bedroom. "In microgravity, solids don't go down and gas bubbles don't go up," she says. "Everything just goes where it wants." These pieces of orbital home design, most delivered in a single space shuttle trip late last year, provide a realistic glimpse of what it's like to live in space.

Orbital Renovation

Kitchen

The crew's galley has to be expanded; new items include suitcase-shape warmers that gently close around as many as 12 metallic foil bags holding prepared foods. The sink, based on the space shuttle's, has its own hot-water heater for bags of stew or cups of instant coffee.

Exercise Equipment

The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device uses vacuum canisters and ropes to create resistance that mimics weights. The ARED provides the equivalent of 600 pounds of weights that can be used for dozens of exercises. Astronauts' muscles and nerves can deteriorate if they don't work out.

Bedroom

ISS residents each have individual 3 x 3.5 x 6-ft quarters with laptop connections. "They're living in a closet," Edeen says. "And it's not a walk-in."

Astronauts have just enough space to dress.

Bathroom

The ISS received a new toilet that NASA purchased from Russia. A gentle vacuum pulls waste into a funnel that leads to a solid-liquid separator. Urine gets converted into clean water in a recycling system. Water quality is tested in space and on the ground.