• Question: Because there aren't any germs in space, at least I think there aren't, would we have the need to do washing?

    Asked by professorofbadgers to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 15 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      There aren’t any alien bugs in space (at least that we have found yet!) but we can’t go anywhere without taking our own private supply of bacteria and bugs in our own body. If we don’t wash, these bugs that are in and on our bodies, might get too powerful and make us ill. No excuse to not wash, sorry!

    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      There aren’t any germs out in space, but there definitely are on the astronauts bodies.

      In the early space programmes that only lasted a few days, the astronauts didn’t normally wash, which meant they came home a bit smelly!

      Now that people spend a long time up in space on the ISS they need to wash, but it’s quite difficult.

      Normally all they get is a tepid sponge bath. No showers or baths because the water would just float!

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