A Day in the Life of an Astronaut in 2026: What It's Really Like on the ISS
A day in the life of an astronaut in 2026: what it's really like on the ISS
The ISS orbits Earth 16 times a day at 17,500 mph. Inside, seven crew members follow a carefully scheduled routine that balances science experiments, station maintenance, exercise, meals, and sleep — all in microgravity. As of February 2026, the station houses Expedition 74 crew including SpaceX Crew-12 members Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot (ESA), and Andrey Fedyaev (Roscosmos).
Here's what a typical day actually looks like aboard the ISS, based on published crew schedules and astronaut accounts.
The daily schedule
The ISS runs on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC). Every crew member's day is planned in 5-minute blocks on the Onboard Short-Term Plan Viewer (OSTPV) — a timeline that Mission Control in Houston manages and updates in near-real time.
| Time (UTC) | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | Wake up, hygiene, breakfast | 1 hour |
| 7:00 AM | Daily planning conference (DPC) with Mission Control | 30 min |
| 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Work block 1: science, maintenance, EVA prep | 4.5 hours |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch | 1 hour |
| 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Work block 2: science, cargo ops, repairs | 5 hours |
| Throughout day | Mandatory exercise (ARED, T2 treadmill, CEVIS bike) | 2.5 hours |
| 6:00 PM | Evening planning conference | 15 min |
| 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM | Dinner, personal time | 1.25 hours |
| 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM | Pre-sleep: family calls, reading, photography | 2 hours |
| 9:30 PM | Sleep (in crew quarters, strapped into sleeping bag) | 8.5 hours |
Total work time: About 6.5 hours of science and maintenance, plus 2.5 hours of exercise. The rest is meals, conferences, and personal time. Weekends are lighter — maintenance and exercise continue, but science experiments are usually paused.
What the work actually involves
Science experiments
The ISS hosts over 300 experiments at any given time across six laboratory modules. Astronauts aren't designing experiments — they're executing procedures written by ground-based principal investigators. A typical science task might be:
- Loading samples into the Cold Atom Lab for quantum physics experiments
- Tending plant growth experiments in the Veggie or APH (Advanced Plant Habitat)
- Operating the ISS National Lab's protein crystal growth experiments
- Collecting biological samples (blood, saliva, urine) for crew health studies
- Monitoring 3D printing experiments for in-space manufacturing research
Crew members receive step-by-step instructions from Mission Control, often with real-time video guidance. The skill is executing complex procedures precisely in microgravity while troubleshooting when things don't go exactly as scripted.
Station maintenance
The ISS is a 25-year-old machine that requires constant upkeep. Astronauts spend significant time on:
- Replacing faulty components (pumps, fans, filters, batteries)
- Monitoring environmental systems (oxygen generation, CO2 removal, water recycling)
- Configuring cargo after resupply missions (Dragon, Cygnus, Progress)
- Operating the Canadarm2 robotic arm for external tasks
- Performing EVAs (spacewalks) for external repairs — typically 2-4 per year
Exercise
This is non-negotiable. Without gravity, astronauts lose 1-2% of bone density per month and significant muscle mass. The 2.5-hour daily requirement uses three devices:
- ARED (Advanced Resistive Exercise Device): Simulates weightlifting — squats, deadlifts, bench press against vacuum cylinders providing up to 600 lbs of resistance
- T2 treadmill: Running with a harness that pulls you toward the belt. Astronauts report it's uncomfortable but effective.
- CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System): Stationary bike with no seat (you clip your feet in and pedal in any orientation)
Living in microgravity
Eating: Food comes in pouches, cans, and thermostabilized packets. No refrigerator on the ISS (limited cold storage for experiments only). Crew members rehydrate freeze-dried meals with hot or cold water from a dispenser. Tortillas replace bread (crumbs are a hazard). Fresh produce arrives on resupply missions and is consumed within days. Astronauts report that taste perception changes in microgravity — many crave spicy food because congestion from fluid shifts dulls their sense of smell.
Sleeping: Each crew member has a phone-booth-sized crew quarter with a sleeping bag velcroed to the wall. You can sleep in any orientation — there's no "lying down." Some astronauts report the sensation of their arms floating in front of them during sleep. Earplugs and eye masks are standard because the station is loud (fans, pumps) and experiences a sunrise/sunset every 45 minutes.
Hygiene: No shower. Astronauts wash with no-rinse shampoo and wet wipes. Teeth are brushed with edible toothpaste (no spitting in microgravity). The toilet uses airflow suction instead of gravity — learning to use it is famously one of the less glamorous parts of astronaut training.
Who's in space right now (February 2026)
Expedition 74 crew:
| Crew Member | Agency | Role | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessica Meir | NASA | Commander | Crew Dragon (Crew-12) |
| Jack Hathaway | NASA | Pilot | Crew Dragon (Crew-12) |
| Sophie Adenot | ESA (France) | Mission Specialist | Crew Dragon (Crew-12) |
| Andrey Fedyaev | Roscosmos | Flight Engineer | Crew Dragon (Crew-12) |
| Sergey Kud-Sverchkov | Roscosmos | Flight Engineer | Soyuz |
| Sergey Mikayev | Roscosmos | Flight Engineer | Soyuz |
| Christopher Williams | NASA | Flight Engineer | Prior rotation |
Crew-12 arrived on February 14, 2026, replacing Crew-11 which returned to Earth on January 15 after an early return decision due to a medical issue. Each crew rotation lasts approximately 6 months.
What's next for astronauts in 2026
Artemis II (targeting April 2026): Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen will fly a 10-day lunar flyby — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. A helium flow issue discovered during testing caused a rollback to the VAB in late February, pushing the launch from March to April.
Artemis III (restructured): Now targeting 2027 as an orbital test mission, not a lunar landing. The first lunar landing has been pushed to Artemis IV in 2028.
Commercial missions: Axiom-5 is targeted for January 2027. Vast's Haven-1 commercial station could launch as early as mid-2026, with a 4-person crew mission shortly after.
New astronaut class: NASA's Group 24, announced September 2025, includes 10 candidates — the first class with more women than men. Notable selectees include Anna Menon (former SpaceX engineer who flew on Polaris Dawn) and Yuri Kubo (former SpaceX Falcon 9 launch director).
NASA has just 37 active astronauts eligible for flight — down from 149 in 2000. The NASA Inspector General has warned the corps may be too small for the growing number of missions (ISS, Artemis, commercial programs). Meanwhile, commercial astronaut ranks are expanding: SpaceX has flown 50+ people to orbit, and Axiom, Vast, and other companies will add more. The definition of "astronaut" is broadening beyond NASA's corps.
How to become one
The path to becoming an astronaut starts with engineering or science — and the career you build along the way is rewarding regardless of whether you're selected. See our complete astronaut career roadmap for the full guide, or explore NASA careers (19 active positions) and all 11,276 space jobs across the industry.
