The International Space Station is basically a giant, pressurized metal can screaming through the vacuum of space at five miles per second. It’s been up there for over twenty-five years. Most people think of it as this pristine, high-tech laboratory where everything is sterile and futuristic, like a scene out of Interstellar. Honestly? It’s a bit more like a lived-in, slightly cramped submarine that smells vaguely of ozone and dirty laundry.
You’ve probably seen the videos of astronauts floating around doing somersaults or eating rehydrated shrimp cocktail. That’s the "public relations" version of life in low Earth orbit. The reality of the International Space Station is way weirder, much grosser, and far more complex than the 20-second clips on the nightly news suggest.
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It’s Actually Not That Quiet Up There
If you imagine space as a silent void, the inside of the station will disappoint you. It’s loud. Constantly.
Think about your house. Now imagine every single appliance—the fridge, the AC, the computer fans—running at maximum power 24/7 in a room with no curtains or carpet to soak up the sound. The ISS is packed with life support systems, pumps, and cooling fans that never, ever stop. Astronauts like Chris Hadfield have mentioned that without earplugs, the constant drone can be genuinely maddening. It stays around 60 to 70 decibels in most modules. That’s roughly the volume of a vacuum cleaner running in the next room.
The Smell of Outer Space is Metallic
What does "outside" smell like? You can’t exactly stick your nose out the window, but when astronauts come back inside after a spacewalk, their suits carry a distinct scent.
They call it the "smell of space."
According to NASA astronaut Don Pettit, it’s a sweet, metallic sensation. Other crew members have described it as smelling like seared steak, hot metal, or even the fumes from welding. This isn't because space has an atmosphere, obviously. It’s likely caused by high-energy vibrations in particles that cling to the fabric of the suits, which then react with the oxygen inside the airlock. It’s one of those weird sensory details you only realize once you're actually there.
Your Sweat Just Clings to You Like a Blob
On Earth, sweat drips. It runs down your face, hits your shirt, and evaporates or makes you miserable. In microgravity, physics behaves differently.
When you exercise on the ISS—which you have to do for two hours every single day just to keep your bones from turning into brittle glass—the sweat doesn't go anywhere. It forms a literal layer of liquid over your skin. If you don't towel it off constantly, it just builds up into a massive, wobbly salt-water sphere. It’s gross. But it gets weirder: that sweat is eventually sucked into the air revitalization system, condensed, treated, and turned back into drinking water.
Yes, they drink their own recycled sweat and urine. As the saying goes among the crew, "Today's coffee is tomorrow's coffee."
The "Green" Reality of ISS Recycling
People talk a lot about sustainability on Earth, but the International Space Station is the ultimate closed-loop system. The Water Recovery System (WRS) is a marvel of engineering. It collects moisture from everywhere. Breath. Sweat. Urine. Even the runoff from the experimental animal enclosures.
Marshall Space Flight Center engineers spent years perfecting the distillation process because, in space, weight is everything. Every gallon of water you don't have to launch from Florida is thousands of dollars saved. The water produced is actually cleaner than most municipal tap water on Earth. Still, knowing it was in your bladder three hours ago takes some mental adjustment.
You Lose Your Sense of Taste (Mostly)
Ever wonder why space food looks so heavily seasoned? It’s because being on the ISS gives you a permanent head cold.
On Earth, gravity pulls your bodily fluids toward your feet. In space, those fluids redistribute evenly. This is called "fluid shift," and it makes astronauts’ faces look puffy—often called "moon face." This congestion blocks the nasal passages, which means you can't smell your food properly. Since smell is a huge part of taste, everything starts to taste like cardboard.
Astronauts crave hot sauce. Sriracha and Wasabi are basically currency up there. Anything with a massive kick is prized because it’s the only way they can actually feel like they're eating something flavorful.
The "Forbidden" Bread and the Tortilla Revolution
You will never see a loaf of sourdough on the ISS. Why? Crumbs.
In microgravity, crumbs don't fall to the floor. They float. A stray bread crumb can drift into an astronaut’s eye, or worse, get sucked into a sensitive electrical vent and start a fire. After the 1965 Gemini 3 mission—where John Young famously smuggled a corned beef sandwich onto the craft and nearly caused a disaster with flying crumbs—NASA banned bread.
Instead, they use tortillas.
Taco Bell actually helped the space program by developing a shelf-stable tortilla that stays fresh for months. Since tortillas don’t produce crumbs, they are the bread of choice for space sandwiches, space pizzas, and even space burgers.
Your Feet Shed Skin Like a Snake
This is the part they don't tell you in the glossy magazines. Since astronauts don't walk, the skin on the bottom of their feet becomes incredibly soft, like a baby’s. However, the skin on the top of their feet gets calloused because they use their toes to hook into handrails to stay stable.
Because they aren't putting pressure on their soles, the thick, dead skin on their heels eventually just... peels off. In large chunks.
If you aren't careful when you take your socks off, you’ll send a cloud of dead foot skin floating through the module for your crewmates to breathe in. It’s one of the less glamorous aspects of long-duration spaceflight. Veterans know to change their socks near a suction vent to catch the "snow."
The ISS is Moving Fast—Like, Really Fast
We say the station "orbits" Earth, but it’s actually in a state of constant freefall. It’s moving at 17,500 miles per hour.
To put that in perspective:
- It circles the entire planet every 90 minutes.
- The crew sees 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every single day.
- In the time it takes you to eat lunch, the ISS has traveled from New York to London and back.
This high speed is necessary to stay in orbit. If it slowed down, gravity would win and pull it into the atmosphere to burn up. Because of this speed and Einstein’s theory of relativity, time actually moves slightly slower for astronauts than it does for us on the ground. It’s a tiny fraction of a second over six months, but technically, ISS astronauts are time travelers.
There is a Very Real Mold Problem
The ISS is old. Some of the Russian modules, like Zarya, have been up there since 1998. When you have humans living in a sealed metal tube, you get humidity. And where there is humidity and warmth, there is mold.
In the early 2000s, astronauts found clumps of fungi and bacteria growing behind panels where condensation had built up. It wasn't just typical bathroom mold; some of it was actually eating through the plastic and metal. NASA and Roscosmos have to spend a significant amount of time scrubbing the walls with antimicrobial wipes. It’s a constant battle against the "space gunk" that wants to reclaim the station.
Sleeping in a Closet
There are no bedrooms on the ISS. There are "crew quarters," which are essentially the size of a vertical phone booth.
You sleep in a sleeping bag tethered to the wall. This is important because if you weren't tethered, you’d drift around and potentially bump your head or end up blocking an air vent. Some astronauts find it incredibly peaceful—like being in the womb—while others struggle with the lack of a pillow. There is no "down" in space, so your head doesn't need support, but the psychological urge to rest your head on something is hard to break.
How to Apply These Lessons to Your Life
Living on the International Space Station is the ultimate exercise in human resilience and engineering. While most of us won't be heading to orbit anytime soon, the way NASA manages the station offers some pretty solid takeaways for life on Earth.
Systems over stuff.
The ISS works because every single thing has a purpose and a place. If you're feeling overwhelmed by your environment, adopt the "space station" mentality: if it doesn't serve a function or bring significant value, it's just "mass" that’s slowing you down.
Sustainability isn't a buzzword; it’s a survival tactic.
The way the ISS recycles water and air is a preview of what we’ll need to do on Earth as resources get tighter. Looking at your own consumption—specifically water and energy—through the lens of a "closed-loop system" can change how you treat your local environment.
Micro-environments matter.
Because the astronauts live in such a small space, they are hyper-aware of air quality, CO2 levels, and cleanliness. You might not be worried about "floating foot skin," but the air quality in your home or office directly impacts your cognitive function. Open a window or get a HEPA filter; your brain will thank you.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of things, check out the NASA ISS Interactive Reference Guide. It gives a live look at who is up there right now and what experiments they are running. You can also use the "Spot the Station" tool to see when the ISS will fly over your backyard—it’s usually the brightest "star" in the sky, moving steadily without blinking.
Next time you see that bright dot tracking across the night sky, just remember: there are humans inside that dot, eating tortillas and drinking recycled sweat for the sake of science.