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Julie Payette's Journal

International Space Station – Flight Day 12 –
Saturday, July 26, 2009

Finally, a day of rest after ten days of intense robotics and four spacewalks, the first of which lasted over seven hours. This is the twelfth flight day and our primary mission objectives have been accomplished. It is with peace of mind that we are now allowing ourselves a little time off. I am taking advantage of my free time to get organized, look out the window, take pictures and wash my hair! Washing oneself in weightlessness brings about certain inconveniences that do not exist on Earth. When water is released, it immediately forms perfect spheres that float like soap bubbles across the cabin. We must then chase them down and catch them with a towel, since floating liquid is a not a good idea in a hermetically sealed spaceship filled with electrical equipment. To avoid spills, we wet a washcloth with a small water gun, and wash ourselves like we would during a camping trip. We are provided with soap bars but since this is difficult to rinse off, I prefer to use "no rinse" liquid soap that I warm up in our small oven.

Same thing for hair. We have special shampoo that does not require rinsing and that works very well. My colleagues use it daily, but with my long curly hair that is difficult to untangle, I must take on this operation at an opportune moment - certainly not at the beginning of my work day! As you can see on the picture, the result is quite amusing. As soon as I am done, I must tie my hair up very tightly, or it would constantly get stuck in the many velcros on the walls and ceiling of the shuttle and the station.

Last night, to highlight the historic fact that we are thirteen individuals representing five different nationalities in space at the same time, we (the shuttle astronauts) invited the station astronauts over for dinner! It was not just any dinner. It was a real feast complete with Canadian appetizers and entrées. On the menu: salmon pâté from British Columbia, garlic and shrimp noodles, Indian-flavoured rice and lentils, beef jerky from Alberta, smoked salmon, fruit bars from Ontario, dark chocolate-covered cranberries, and, to end with a bang, my crew’s favourite, Maple Leaf cookies. We had planned, tested, and packed the food ahead on Earth with Canadian Space Agency and NASA nutritionists (the complete menu is on the CSA website). It was delicious and greatly appreciated by my colleagues. Canada may not be known for its gastronomy on Earth, but in space, we are now world-renowned!

See you soon,

Julie