Can an astronaut Be Afraid of heights?

— When NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba was out doing a spacewalk during a recent trip to the International Space Station, he held on tight. That’s because Acaba is afraid of heights. “It does take a little bit of work while you’re doing a spacewalk to realize, okay, it’s okay. You are not going to fall.”

Is it scary to spacewalk?

In an astronaut spacewalk, also known as an Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), an astronaut literally walks in space, exiting the relative safety of the international space station in order to perform exterior repairs on things like a solar panel. Spacewalks are dangerous, physically demanding, and rare.

What are astronauts afraid of?

The Fear of the Unknown Overwhelmingly, the unknown is what astronauts fear most. In space, anything can go wrong at any time. It is impossible to plan for every situation, and no matter how many steps you take to prevent them, failures are bound to occur.

Do astronauts have to decompress before a spacewalk?

About 24 hours before the spacewalk, astronauts undergo decompression, the same procedure divers follow when returning from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the water. Inside the space station, air is pressurized to the same degree as it is on Earth at sea level: 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 1 atmosphere.

How do spacesuits keep astronauts safe?

Spacesuits supply astronauts with oxygen to breathe while they are in the vacuum of space. The suits contain water to drink during spacewalks. They protect astronauts from being injured from impacts of small bits of space dust. The suits even have visors to protect astronauts’ eyes from the bright sunlight.

Are spacewalks exhausting?

It’s not difficult at first, but after several hours, an astronaut’s hands can get tired and sore. The sensation has been compared to squeezing a tennis ball for hours at a time. In addition, some astronauts have reported that it can initially be disorienting looking through a space suit helmet.

What are the odds of dying in space?

The current statistical fatality rate is 3.2 percent. NASA astronauts who died on duty are memorialized at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida.

What do astronauts do before a spacewalk?

Astronauts prepare for spacewalks by practicing their tasks underwater in a giant pool called NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. Astronauts use virtual reality hardware to practice spacewalks.

Why do astronauts run on treadmill before spacewalk?

The main reason for this is because astronauts need time to go through decompression, the same procedure cave divers use when returning from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the water. Astronauts also have to breathe in pure oxygen, because the amount of oxygen in air at such a low pressure isn’t enough.