Miquel Piris Burgos 4t ESO C
I.E.S Josep Miquel i Guàrdia
In this picture I can see an astronaut in space. He is out of the spaceship and perhaps he is repairing it. He is wearing a spacesuit. He is carrying oxygen tanks because in the space there isn't as much oxygen as on the Earth. He is wearing a helmet with a microphone and earphones to speak to the astronauts in the spaceship. The astronaut is connected to the spaceship by metal cables and harnesses. The astronaut is from the USA because in a spacesuit sleeve I can see the USA flag.
To be an astronaut you must have specific physical and mental qualities. The physical qualities that the space agency NASA requires are that you have to be between 1.50 and 1.90 metres tall, have perfect eyesight, have low blood pressure and you have to be fit. The mental qualities are that you have to be able to deal with difficult situations without panicking and have a spirit of adventure and exploration. But the most important requirement are the studies. The astronauts must have a degree in engineering, biology, physics or maths and speak a foreign language.
These are all the requirements but when you get in the space agency you have to train for several years before going into space. You attend classes in navigation, meteorology and astronomy, and also receive training in practical skills. Another thing you do before going into space is spend long periods of time in an enormous water tank, which simulates the weightless condition inside a space shuttle. You also practise preparing food, washing yourself and doing experiments in a special shuttle simulator.
After all these years of training you are prepared to travel but most astronauts only travel into space once in their lives, and some don't get the opportunity at all.
Astronauts say that a day in a space shuttle is very similar to a day on Earth. They have a kind of water gun because the water from a tap would float. They play with weightless food, catching spoonfuls of food. They also say that it is easy to fall asleep and each astronaut sleeps differently.
I think that they perhaps have a similar life to the one on Earth but everything is done in a different way. I would like to try to catch spoonfuls of food floating in the air. I think I would spend a lot of time playing with weightless things. But I wouldn't like to be an astronaut because I am not interested in astronomy. I think I have some of the requirements that the space agency requires. I think I have all the physical qualities and I like engineering and maths. Another reason why I wouldn't like to be an astronaut is that I think that studying and working hard lots of years only to travel once or not travel into space is unfair.