How Do Astronauts Exercise, Get Haircuts in Space? ESA’s Matthias Maurer Shares Clips

Life in space is intriguing, much more to those with an interest in astronomy. There are several questions. For instance, how do astronauts keep their cool, what do they do to entertain themselves, or maintain their mental and physical health. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer shared two videos which give a sneak peek into life aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In one of them, he shows what astronauts do to strengthen their muscle mass and bone density in the weightless environment. And in the other, what they do to keep hair away from their eyes.

While the ISS is an enormous laboratory, floating nearly 400km above Earth, it is still mostly machines. Living aboard it may be exciting but it requires immense discipline. The ISS hosts experiments that could not be performed in any laboratory on Earth.

“There’s no exception when it comes to the daily 2h of exercise aboard the space station. This not only serves to keep us in shape after the festive treats but is important to strengthen our muscle mass and bone density in the weightless environment of space,” tweeted Maurer.

In the second video, Maurer gave his followers a peek into the “salon” and took the help of his colleague, Raja Chari, an Indian-American NASA astronaut, to keep hair away from his eyes. He said that on the Space Station the “hair clippers come with a vacuum attached.” Referring to Chari as a space stylist, Maurer gave him “five stars” for this “service.”

Maurer and his three colleagues, including Chari, lifted off aboard a new SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft called Endurance and docked on to the ISS in November 2021 for a six-month stay in orbit. This is Maurer’s first space mission.