Science Sunday: How Do Astronauts Breathe in Space?

Who doesn’t love space? Astronauts have one of the coolest jobs, because they get to live in and explore space for months at a time. In thinking about this amazing journey astronauts take, we had one very important question. How do astronauts breathe while they are living on the International Space Station? Actually, astronauts get the oxygen that they breathe from water. As you have learned in science classes, water is made up of 2 hydrogens and 1 oxygen molecule. Scientists have found a way to break down that water into its basic molecules through a process called electrolysis. While the equipment used on the International Space Station is very complex, the process is something you can easily try at home. Watch the full Science Sunday segment below to learn more.

 

Dinosaurs Around the World: Passport to Pangea is now open at the Connecticut Science Center and is included with General Admission. Visit CTScienceCenter.org to reserve your ticket online in advance of your visit. 

 

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Aoife Ryle is a STEM Educator at the Connecticut Science Center. In addition to working with school groups, she works with our Teen Program, Overnights department, and shoots weekly science segments for WFSB. She has a degree in Bioengineering from the University of Maine and has a personal interest in the life sciences and engineering which makes bioengineering a perfect crossover.

 

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Mark Dixon is a meteorologist on WFSB Channel 3 Eyewitness News and a host of the weekly Science Sunday segments with the Connecticut Science Center. He has been nominated for several Emmy awards for weather anchoring and has won awards from the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcaster’s Association and the American Meteorological Society.

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