Imagine waking up in a small room that flies around the Earth. For the astronauts on the International Space Station, this is normal life. The station circles our planet about sixteen times a day, so the crew can see many sunrises and sunsets in one day.
Because there is almost no gravity on the station, everything floats — including people. Astronauts sleep in small sleeping bags that are tied to the wall, so they don't float around and bump into things at night.
After breakfast, the crew starts work. They do science experiments, fix machines and talk to the team on the ground. Most of their food comes in packets, and they add water to some of it. Salt and pepper come as liquids, because tiny grains could float away and get into the equipment.
Exercise is a very important part of the day. In space, muscles and bones become weaker because they don't have to work against gravity. For this reason, astronauts usually exercise for about two hours every day on special machines.
Life on the station is not always easy. The crew is far from family and friends, and there is little privacy. Still, many astronauts say that looking down at the Earth from the window is the best part of their job. It reminds them how beautiful — and how small — our planet is.