📖 Chapter 8 of 12 · Mysterious Space- Basic 2 · Class 7
Chapter 7: Living on a Space Station
What is a space station?
A space station is a large machine, big enough for people to live inside, that circles the Earth high above us. Astronauts stay there for weeks or months, doing experiments and studying how living in space affects the body. It is, in a way, a home in orbit.
How do astronauts live up there?
Because they are falling around the Earth together with the station, astronauts float everywhere inside. They strap themselves down to sleep, catch floating drops to drink, and exercise every day so their muscles stay strong. India is preparing its own human spaceflight, called Gaganyaan, and plans one day to build its own space station.
Story Time — A Day Without Down
Gurpreet · Patiala, Punjab
Gurpreet, who loved his grandfather's story about Rakesh Sharma, now watched a video sent down from a space station, where an astronaut showed children a day in her life. “Up here,” she said, floating gently, “there is no up and no down. Everything floats, including me.”
She let go of a small bag, and it hung in the air beside her. She sipped water from a floating silver ball, catching it neatly in her mouth. “We cannot pour water into a glass here,” she laughed, “it would just float away. So we drink it straight from the air.”
Gurpreet was delighted. “How do they sleep if they float?” he wondered aloud. As if she had heard him, the astronaut showed a sleeping bag tied to the wall. “We zip ourselves in and strap down,” she said, “or we would drift around the room all night and bump into things.”
She explained that astronauts must exercise for two hours every single day. “In space, our muscles grow weak because we never have to hold ourselves up. So we run on a special treadmill, strapped down, to stay strong for when we return to the Earth.”
At the end, the astronaut floated to a window and turned the camera to the Earth below — blue oceans, white clouds, and the curve of the whole world. Gurpreet stared, breathless. “One day,” he told himself, just as he always did, “that could be me, looking down at India from a home in the sky.”
Story Time — The Plant That Grew in Space
Ananya · Hyderabad
Ananya's class was given a wonderful task: to grow a small plant in a cup, and to compare it with photographs of a plant grown by astronauts on a space station. “Why would anyone grow a plant in space?” a classmate asked.
Their teacher explained. “If people are ever to travel far into space, for months or years, they will need to grow their own food along the way. So astronauts are learning, right now, how plants grow when everything floats. It is real science, happening above our heads.”
Ananya watered her little seedling each day and watched it lean towards the classroom window, reaching for the Sun — just as Priya's sunflower once had. “In space,” her teacher said, “there is no ‘up’ for the roots to grow down from, so scientists must help the plants find their way.”
“So the astronauts are gardeners too?” Ananya asked, delighted. “In a way, yes,” her teacher said. “They are learning to keep plants — and people — alive far from the Earth. India is preparing to send its own astronauts to space with the Gaganyaan mission, and this kind of knowledge will matter greatly.”
Ananya looked at her small green seedling with new respect. It was not just a plant in a cup on a windowsill in Hyderabad. It was a tiny step towards the day when Indians might live, and grow their gardens, among the stars.
Solved Examples
Think first, then read the answer.
1. What is a space station?
Show answer
Answer: It is a large machine that circles the Earth, big enough for astronauts to live and work inside for weeks or months.
2. Why do astronauts float inside a space station?
Show answer
Answer: Because they and the station are falling around the Earth together at the same speed, so everything inside floats.
3. How do astronauts sleep in space?
Show answer
Answer: They zip into sleeping bags strapped to the wall, so they do not drift around.
4. Why do astronauts exercise every day?
Show answer
Answer: Because in space their muscles grow weak, so they exercise to stay strong for their return to the Earth.
5. What is India's human spaceflight mission called?
Show answer
Answer: It is called Gaganyaan.
Check Your Understanding
A. Fill in the blanks
- A space station circles the _______.
- Astronauts _______ everything inside a space station.
- India's human spaceflight is called _______.
B. Write True or False
- Astronauts strap down to sleep. ( ___ )
- There is a clear ‘up’ and ‘down’ in a space station. ( ___ )
- Astronauts must exercise to stay strong. ( ___ )
C. Answer in one word
- What do astronauts catch in the air to drink?
- What is India's human spaceflight mission called?
D. Think and answer
- Why is it useful to grow plants in space?
- What would be the hardest part of living where everything floats?
- Would you like to live on a space station? Why?
Check your understanding
Tap an answer to see if it is correct. This is just for fun — nothing is saved.
1. What is a space station?
- A home in orbit for astronauts
- A rocket
- A telescope
Show answer
A. A home in orbit for astronauts
2. Why do astronauts exercise daily in space?
- For fun
- To keep their muscles strong
- To stay warm
Show answer
B. To keep their muscles strong
3. India's human spaceflight mission is called...
- Gaganyaan
- NavIC
- Aryabhata
Show answer
A. Gaganyaan