25 March, 2011

Sleeping in the space

Dear Areg,

I just saw that Matyi was preparing a nice and difficult cross- puzzle for you! It seems quiet difficult even for me! But I am sure Mom&Dad can help you to solve it!
I just found an interesting article about how astronauts sleep in the space, have you ever thought about that?

How do astronauts sleep in space?

Usually after a long day of work, an astronaut will settle in for a much needed eight hours of sleep. Sleeping in a space shuttle or on the space station is a lot different than sleeping down on Earth.

How do you sleep? You probably have a bedroom with a bed. Astronauts often have only very tiny rooms to sleep in, and there isn’t enough room for a bed. They often sleep in small compartments or in sleeping bags!

The biggest difference between sleeping on Earth and sleeping in space is gravity. In space, there is no gravity to pull people down. Without gravity, there actually isn’t really any up or down at all! Sometimes astronauts sleep standing up! Also, so that they don’t float away and bump into things while they sleep, astronauts will often strap their sleeping bags to the walls!


Standing and Sleeping

Astronauts can stand up and sleep at the same time, but that would be tricky for us. What would happen if we fell asleep standing up? Don’t try to do it though. You might bump into something and hurt yourself.

Imagine that your bedroom was in outer space. How would arrange the furniture? Would you put your bed on a wall or on the ceiling? What changes would you have to make so that you wouldn’t float out of bed at night while you slept?


Hugs, Fanni

22 March, 2011

Dear Areg,

I am sorry that we did not write to you so long, but we were very busy. We have been buying a new apartment in Budapest. it will be ready this summer. It will be very nice and cozy. I hope one day you will also have the chance to see it.

Because of the construction of the new flat, we have to travel a lot to Budapest, this is why we did not have a chance to write into the blog, or to talk to you on Skype. But this weekend we are going to be at home, so hopefully we can talk a little bit.

In the mean time we have passed a very important day, which is very important for a small astronomer like you! Have you realized that it was the March equinox, which is practically the beginning of the astronomic Easter. On this day the day and the night have exactly the same length. I am sure that a small astronomer like you already knows that the days and nights are not the same long all around the year. In winter time the nights are longer and in summer the days are longer. On the March equinox the day and the night are equal. Do you know what is the reason, why the length of the days is changing? If not, I'll explain it to you next time.

For the time being here you can find a nice crossword puzzle. All the questions are related to astronomy. I would like to see the solution, once you manage. It must be easy for you.


Keep Well!
Hugs,
Matyi