Could YOU survive on the ISS? Claustrophobia-inducing virtual tour lets you imagine what it's like for NASA's trapped astronauts - who have to sleep in phonebooth-sized bedrooms, use vacuum-powered toilets, and wear the same underwear for WEEKS on end
- This virtual tour allows you to explore the International Space Station (ISS)
- Cramped conditions and busy schedules make life on the ISS extremely tough
- READ MORE: Fates of stranded astronauts still unclear as NASA weighs risks
Growing up, you might have dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut and blasting off to the International Space Station (ISS).
But once you take this claustrophobia-inducing virtual tour of the space station, you might be thankful that dream never came true.
Life 250 miles (400km) above Earth is far less glamorous than the movies might make you might think.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams recently gained international attention after NASA revealed that the pair would be stuck on the ISS for six months, despite originally expecting to be there for eight days.
From the phonebooth-sized bedrooms to the vacuum-powered toilet, here's what the pair will have to put up with - all while wearing the same pair of underwear for weeks on end!
As NASA announces that astronauts Butch Wilmore (top) and Suni Williams (bottom) could be trapped on the ISS for up to six months, interactive graphics reveal what life will be like for them
This virtual tour allows you to take a look through the International Space Station. In this picture, you can see the inside of the Destiny module which serves as NASA's main lab
To get a sense of where Butch and Suni will be spending the next few months, you can take a virtual walking (or floating) tour of the ISS by following this link.
Your tour begins in the Columbus module, NASA's main orbiting laboratory at the far end of the space station.
To look around, simply click and drag to turn the camera through 360 degrees or use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen.
Alternatively, you can also press the 'Start/Stop Autorotation' option to experience what it would feel like to spin out of control in zero gravity.
With only six beds and nine astronauts now on the station, Butch and Suni don't even have a proper bed.
Before takeoff Suni told Time Magazine she would be sleeping in the less-comfortable 'Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation' in the Columbus module while Butch has to make do with a sleeping bag tethered to the station wall.
Moving through the ISS tour you can also see how little privacy astronauts have in these cramped quarters with every room serving multiple purposes.
This image from the virtual tour shows the arrangement of the four sleeping compartments in Node 2 where astronauts rest
In Node 3 you can see ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti taking some pictures from the station's cupola
What is life really like on the ISS?
As you might have seen on your virtual tour, everything on the ISS is either strapped down or held in place by velcro.
Without the assistance of Earth's familiar gravity, just going about your day can be extremely difficult.
On Earth, you might wake up, use the toilet, take a shower, brush your teeth, and grab some breakfast without even really having to wake up fully.
But on the ISS each of those tasks requires careful consideration to avoid making a serious mess.
Samantha Cristoforetti demonstrates how astronauts wash without a shower just by using a little water and a cloth
Without gravity, water doesn't fall but rather globs together into floating balls held together by its own surface tension.
That means a morning shower is completely out of the question so astronauts use a wet cloth to wash as best they can.
A combination of rinseless shampoo and a little water can then be used for washing their hair.
Since water sticks to the toothbrush, brushing your teeth in space is much the same as on Earth with the only difference being that you have to swallow your toothpaste.
But without gravity to guide things where they need to go, using the toilet can be the biggest challenge of all.
When NASA first started sending humans into microgravity, the space agency solved this issue using a combination of condom-like latex sleeves and nappies.
As astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrates how brushing your teeth is exactly the same in space as on Earth apart from the fact you need to swallow your toothpaste
Luckily for Butch and Suni, the technology has now moved on considerably and the ISS is now home to two state-of-the-art suction toilets.
For urine, the astronauts use a hand-held tube they can position to stop any liquids escaping the bathroom.
When it comes to solid waste, the crew use foot straps to hold themselves in place over the toilet.
Thanks to the suction provided by the toilet's fans most of that waste usually ends up being safely caught, but astronauts report that the process has a steep learning curve and can get quite messy.
Another matter of hygiene which might seem shocking to us back on Earth is that astronauts often have to make do with the same clothes for weeks at a time.
Flying water to space is extraordinarily expensive which makes washing clothes impossible.
Using the toilet in the morning requires a complicated process to operate the vacuum-powered space toilet aboard the ISS (pictured)
That means astronauts don't actually bother with laundry but simply wear their clothes until they are too dirty and then eject them into space.
Since flying clothes to the station is costly, astronauts often have to wear the same pants and socks for days or weeks at a time.
That situation was particularly bad for Butch and Suni who flew to the station with only the clothes they had on their backs.
Since they were only expecting an eight-day stay the pair didn't pack any spares and so had to wear the same set of clothes for two months.
Thankfully, last week a Northrop Grumman supply vehicle arrived with 3,720kg of supplies including equipment, fresh food, and some fresh clothes for the Starliner crew.
When Suni William (left) and Butch Wilmore (right) came to the station they only brought the clothes on their backs. This means they had to wait two months for any clean clothing
What is a day like for an astronaut on the ISS?
You might think that Butch and Suni would have plenty of time to kill for the next six months of their unscheduled stay.
However, astronauts on the ISS are expected to follow a gruelling routine of 15-hour work days and mandatory exercise.
NASA provides each of its astronauts with a personalised schedule which maps out their day in 15-minute intervals.
On the station, astronauts can see a tablet on which a red line moves through their schedule in real-time - an experience many astronauts have described as extremely stressful.
Every day begins at 6:00am sharp with a wake-up call from Mission Control back on Earth.
The life of an astronaut is packed with activity as NASA schedules their day down to the 15-minute interval
Astronauts who are lucky enough to have one of the station's crew quarters have some privacy for their sleeping bag (pictured). They are woken up each day at 6:00 am GMT with a call from Mission Control
The ISS orbits Earth 16 times every 24 hours so NASA keeps the station on Greenwich Meantime for the sake of coordination.
After waking up, the crew have an hour and a half to wash up, eat breakfast, and prepare themselves for the day ahead.
After freshening up the astronauts will come together for some breakfast and to read the 'Daily Summary' which is like a newspaper for the ISS with news about the state of the ISS, comments on the schedule, and the flight control rota.
Just like many of us back on Earth, some astronauts wouldn't think about starting the day without coffee.
The space station has a range of powdered hot drinks that the crew can rehydrate with hot water in order to get their morning brew.
For a time between 2015 and 2017, astronauts also had access to the ISSpresso which was the first ever espresso coffee machine designed for space.
Astronauts can choose between a range of different breakfast options, but if they want cereal they do have to add powdered milk and water.
At 7:30am there is a morning planning conference with Mission Control to decide the schedule for the day and by 8:00am the astronauts get to work.
Most of their time on the station is divided between scientific research and doing the essential maintenance required to keep the ISS running.
Just like us on Earth, astronauts can't start their day without coffee. For a time between 2015 and 2017, astronauts also had access to the ISSpresso (pictured) which was the first ever espresso coffee machine designed for space.
Much of an astronaut's day is spent working on scientific research. Here, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron checks out plants growing inside the Veggie plant research facility for the Veggie PONDS experiment
As the world's biggest permanently orbiting research station, astronauts are largely focused on testing the effects of microgravity on various physical and biological processes.
A lot of that research also looks at the effect of space on the human body so the crew frequently find themselves as the lab rats for each other's experiments.
After a break for lunch at 1:00pm the crew might have some of their daily scheduled exercise.
Living without gravity causes muscles to atrophy and the cardiovascular system to decline so astronauts have two hours of mandated exercise per day.
They can either run on the treadmill, pedal on an exercise bike, or lift 'weights' in the 'Advanced Resistive Exercise Device'.
Astronauts have two hours of mandatory exercise each day and can use a treadmill, exercise bike, or the ARED weight-lifting equipment (pictured). Here NASA astronaut Dan Burbank works out by lifting some weights
Of course, since everything on the ISS is weightless these devices use a combination of pistons, flywheels, and elastic bands to simulate the feeling of weight.
Then, after a few more hours of work, the day comes to a close with dinner and a final planning meeting with Mission Control at 7:00pm.
Astronauts need to consume 2,500 calories per day so NASA is careful to provide them with a three-course meal featuring lots of different food options.
Studies have shown that astronauts often struggle to eat enough for their daily energy needs and some experts think it might be down to bland food.
In microgravity, blood rushes to the head and causes swelling in the sinuses which can interfere with the senses of smell and taste.
The day comes to an end with dinner at 7:30 pm. Astronauts are given lots of food options since microgravity affects their taste which makes it harder to ensure they meet their calorie needs. Pictured: NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg has some dinner in the Zvezda module
For this reason, some astronauts opt for spicy food featuring chilis and horseradish to overcome their dulled senses.
Once dinner finishes at 8:30pm, NASA assigns each astronaut one hour of personal time to relax and unwind.
The ISS actually has a good WiFi connection so astronauts often spend their time calling friends and family on Earth, watching movies, or catching up on sports.
But with one of the best views in the solar system waiting for them, it isn't much of a surprise that astronauts often choose to simply spend their time looking out of the window.
After a long day of work, many astronauts spend their hour of free time simply enjoying the view from the ISS's cupola. Here Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Mark Vande Hei relax with a spot of 'Earth gazing'
Officially, 9:30pm is bedtime for astronauts, giving them a solid eight hours of sleep per day.
But with little downtime to enjoy astronauts often stay up a bit later and generally get around six hours of sleep in total.
Since the ISS is loud and bright at all hours most astronauts chose to sleep with eye masks and earplugs.
It is also vital that their sleeping areas are well-ventilated since CO2 can form a bubble around their head during the night.
Then, after a few hours of sleep, the crew are once again woken by a call from Houston and is ready to start the cycle all over again.
EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SITS 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH
The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.
Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts.
The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expended with multiple new modules added and upgrades to systems
Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.
ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.
So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.
There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station beyond 2025, when it is thought some of the original structure will reach 'end of life'.
Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private firm, planning to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time.
NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, that would also include a base on the surface.
