Imagine floating in space, weightless and surrounded by the vast expanse of the universe. For NASA astronauts, this is their reality as they live and work in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Every day presents new challenges: eating, sleeping, and even exercising are all completely different from life on Earth. With no gravity to pull them down, astronauts have to carefully navigate the station, securing themselves to avoid floating away. Meals are pre-packaged and often rehydrated with water, while sleep happens in individual sleeping bags tethered to the walls to prevent drifting.

Workdays are filled with scientific experiments, maintenance tasks, and spacewalks, where astronauts step outside the ISS to repair equipment or install new technologies. They rely on cutting-edge technology to stay connected with family and mission control, while also monitoring their health in a challenging, isolated environment.

Despite the isolation and the challenges of living in space, astronauts report a profound sense of awe when they look out the window to see Earth in all its beauty, often describing the view as life-changing. The experience of living in space pushes human limits and offers us a glimpse into what the future of exploration might look like.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our heroes, near and far!