Browsing by Author "Aspholm, Laura"

Man has lived in space for 20 years. The importance of housing and living in space to man has been viewed as physiological and psychological changes, such as from the perspectives of nutrition, stress tolerance, or muscle endurance, but not from the perspective of everyday life. While astronauts are on expedition their main job is scientific research. However, the station is inhabited and lived for long periods of time, eating, hygiene and spending time with colleagues. The purpose of this study is to look at living and everyday life at the station from the perspective of home economics. The study has looked at videos produced on the ISS International Space Station, which can be found on YouTube’s video service. The selection criteria for the videos were that they highlight housing, everyday life and household activities. The material has been analysed by thematising and classifying the situations that have occurred in the videos according to living, everyday practices and household activities. The material was examined from the perspective of how housing is organized and how everyday life and household functions come into play in a non-home environment. According to the study, living in the station and in use of the premises, features and functions can be perceived that are related to home environments. Astronauts live in very small spaces, so versatility is necessary. Defining the ISS space station as a household is challenging, but with certain criteria this can be done, as everyday routines and household activities can be identified in that form of housing and living. Astronauts have a very regular everyday life with rhythms. In the morning, they wash up and eat breakfast. This is followed by the start of the working day with changing tasks or scientific experiments. The content of the working day also includes daily fitness. Astronauts have at least three meals a day and they are communal situations. In the evening, the crew has free time. They can contact the family, read a book, or just look at the globe spinning below from the window. Doing everyday activities with microgravity makes them a new kind of challenge and, on the other hand, fun to perform.