5 Fun Facts About Astronauts
1. Astronauts wear diapers.
Well technically it's called a "Maximum Absorbency Garment" but for all intents and purposes it's... a diaper. See, missions are generally pretty unpredictable and might have a bunch of delays. And when you can't just unbuckle and pop on the toilet, you have to make like a baby and let loose. Unconfirmed, but we're pretty sure astronauts change their own diapers.
2. Astronaut literally means "Star Sailor" in Latin.
It comes from the term Astron Nautes, which translates to Star Sailor. Pretty *stellar* if you know what I mean.
3. Astronauts have to train to use the toilet.
So a space toilet is basically a hose with a vacuum and then a bucket with a vacuum for number 2. Fun fact: the training toilet at NASA has a camera underneath it so you can ensure that you're perfectly positioning yourself. Ew.
4. You have to learn Russian to be on the International Space Station.
To be able to read manuals on the Russian side, communicate, and generally know what's going on, all astronauts have to learn Russian. Priviet!
5. An astronaut lost his wedding ring on the moon once and found it during a space walk.
Seriously. Wired wrote a great story about it.
Happy International Space Day, Earthlings.
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