Hobbies And Interests
Gravity
The most striking difference between being on Earth and in space is the lack of a strong gravitational field. Rather than being stuck to the surface, as everyone is on Earth, astronauts experience weightlessness, and merely rotate around the planet, which is the extent of the gravitational force that they experience. This is quite a novelty at first, but makes day-to-day things, like sleeping and eating, more difficult than they are down here.
Space Weather
Just like on Earth, the environment in space is not constant, but always fluctuating. Rather than changing temperatures and precipitation, however, space weather consists of phenomena such as radiation and other objects on possible collision courses. Sun flares, which can give off huge amounts of radiation, and objects moving at sometimes miles per second on a collision course, are part of the daily experience of an astronaut in space.
Living Conditions
Pictures and video of space stations and shuttles show a rather cramped and small living area. Things that we take for granted here on Earth, like food, water, breathable air and waste disposal, must all be carefully managed and monitored in space. It takes a strong person, both mentally and physically, to live with such micro-management and stress in their daily lives.
Safety
One of the most complex and potentially dangerous parts about being an astronaut is not space itself, but getting into space and back to the surface of the Earth again. The vast majority of deaths related to spaceflight have happened during take-off or reentry. The only deaths in space happened in 1971, when three Cosmonauts were accidentally exposed to the vacuum of space. Being in space itself is relatively safe. It is the take-off and reentry that astronauts have to worry about.