Astronaut shares the thrill of his first week in space

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: June 3, 2014


One week into a 166-day expedition aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Reid Wiseman has kept an active social media profile, enthusiastically sharing images and impressions of his first days in space.

The 38-year-old U.S. Navy test pilot is making his first spaceflight after his selection as a NASA astronaut in 2009. Wiseman launched May 28 on top of a Soyuz rocket with Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev and European Space Agency flight engineer Alexander Gerst.

The trio is due to return to Earth in November after five-and-a-half months in orbit.

Wiseman's updates have highlighted the unrivaled views from the space station's 260-mile-high orbit, and the sometimes frustrating process of adapting to life in weightlessness.

You can follow Wiseman at @astro_reid. Crew mate Maxim Suraev, flight engineer Alexander Gerst, and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev are also on Twitter.

"Just watched a sunset from the Cupola with a crazy thunderstorm. Speechless. Feeling good, but easily disoriented in the huge #ISS," Wiseman tweeted May 29, his first full day aboard the complex, which is the size of a football field.

"Getting better at floating. Still knocking stuff off walls. Tops of my feet hurt since we hook them under handrails to stabilize," Wiseman posted the next day.

"Feeling great today. Hunger is finally back in force which is a huge positive step in weightless adaptation," Wiseman posted June 2.

"Still adjusting to zero g. Just flipped a bag upside down to dump out the contents," Wiseman tweeted Tuesday, adding the hashtag "#doesntworkhere" at the end of his message.

Check out some of Wiseman's photos with his tweeted captions below.

Photo credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman

"I can't stop looking outside! The Soyuz @astro_alex @msuraev and I arrived on."

"No ship has a better helm. #ISS Fly Navy!"

"First day on the job. Frustration was frequent in 0g!"

"Beautiful pass over the Falkland Islands."

Cape Town and almost all of South Africa. Beautiful!"

"Trying to catch Perth at sunset, got these clouds instead. I'll take it."

"Cloudy skies over Sao Paolo. #worldcup"

"A nice day to hit the beach in Santos, Brazil."

"First run done - heels were tingling, food bouncing in stomach. Yuck!"

"Sleep tight in northern Italy!"

"My parents were waving in Maryland at sunrise, so I took a picture of them."

"A simple toy from my childhood makes for a cool picture in space."

"Day four, finally feeling 100%. Loving this! Even hit the gym today."

"Clouds part for 2 beautiful atolls in Pacific. I wanna visit!"

"It took a 12mm lens to confirm – earth is round."

"Gorgeous glacial flows near Straits of Magellan. I was there in '08."

"Goodnight from space. Our planet is almost all ocean and so pretty."

"Finally! #SoyuzTMA13M selfie @astro_alex @msuraev"

"Great perspective thru the Lab towards me in Node 2."

"Two volcanoes peek through the morning clouds near Auckland, New Zealand."

"Goodnight from ISS. Lush beauty in Papa New Guinea."

"Hangin' with Giraffiti in the Cupola. Goodnight from #ISS"

Expedition 29 Patch
Space models