An astronaut who spent 152 days in space has revealed the ‘scariest’ thing he had to do in orbit.
Clayton Anderson is a retired NASA astronaut who once spent 152 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station.
The mission saw him take part as a member of the Expedition 15 crew which launched on June 8 2007.
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He remained onboard as a member of the Expedition 16 crew before returning back down to Earth on November 7 2007.
During his career, Anderson spent a total of 167 days in space and is now a public speaker and award-winning author.
On social media, he often shares insights and sheds light on different aspects of what his time in space was like and regularly answers questions.
Recently, the retired astronaut was asked on Instagram to pick one moment where he had to keep himself ‘from freaking out during a space mission’.
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Anderson replied, saying: “Honestly, the scariest things I did in space were using the Shuttle toilet (Atlantis) for the first time, and hearing that our Russian toilet had broken and couldn’t be fixed until the next day.”
The US astronaut revealed that the toilet incident led to him sampling the facilities available in a Russian spacecraft.
He went on to explain: “That would lead me to usage of the Soyuz spaceship toilet…, a VERY unique opportunity. But now, I can brag that ‘I have pooped in four different spacecraft!’”
Anderson also shared a nicer moment he spent in space, where he recalled seeing a moonrise for the first time.
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He said: “During my very first spacewalk, I remember hanging on the front of the Space Station (our spacewalk dictated that the ISS fly backward) and I was able to see my first moonrise.”
The astronaut went on to say: “Seeing a full moon rise, while wearing a spacesuit, and clinging to a handrail in the vacuum of space, with it all happening right in front of you, is just incredible and beyond words.”
Describing just what a spacewalk feels like, Anderson explained that it’s an ‘exhausting task, both physically and mentally’.
This is due to the fact that spacesuits are pressurized ‘like a balloon’ so every move is a ‘fight to push against the pressure and bulkiness of the suit’.
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Anderson added: “It surprised me how tired and exhausted I felt after my first spacewalk - but I’d go again in a second!”