Cosmic Coiffures: Maintaining Astronauts' Grooming in Zero Gravity
Haircuts in Orbit: A Spacey Trim
Let's face it, even on a space station, our bodies don't care about zero gravity. Basic bodily functions, like hair growth, still happen - no need for astronauts to return looking like shipwreck survivors! That's why we've got the onboard salon in the ISS, ensuring our space explorers don't end up with a 70s shag style after a half-year vacation.
The solution? An electric hair trimmer paired with a vacuum, whisking those trimmings away before they can float around like leaves in the wind. You know, sort of like the smaller, keratin-filled versions of those vacuums you find on routers and power tools.
China's Tiangong station follows a similar approach, with a video showing a simple yet effective setup - just a pocket-sized vacuum cleaner hooked up to the clippers. But taping a hoover to a pair of clippers won't cut it, which is why both the ISS and Tiangong have meticulously designed systems to catch every last hair. Check out the ISS in action in this 2019 CSA video.
No system is perfect, and it's not like we're dealing with heaps of hair clippings here. Even with a cloud of shed skin particles, our trusty ISS air treatment systems should have no trouble containing these few extra trimmings. The goal is to keep that expanding cloud of hair clippings at bay so our space stations stay clean and tidy!
Interesting Facts:
- Storage and Disposal: Hair clippings on the ISS are stored in sealed bags and eventually disposed of either when returning to Earth or through incineration in space.
- Hygiene and Containment: Both the ISS and Tiangong space stations have strict hygiene protocols in place to prevent any debris from escaping, including those pesky hair clippings.
- Specialized Tools: Astronauts use electric clippers specially adapted for space, designed to minimize floating clippings and maintain a tidy environment.
In the sphere of space-and-astronomy, advanced technology has been utilized to create specialized tools for maintainance, such as the electric hair clippers used on the International Space Station (ISS) and China's Tiangong station. These tools are specifically adapted for space to minimize floating hair clippings and ensure a clean and orderly environment, as part of the strict hygiene protocols in place.
