Reading Astronauts' Secret Diaries

What astronaut diaries tell us—and NASA—about the perils and potential of a mission to the red planet

- Sarah Scoles

AUGUST 2007 WAS A SPECIAL TIME ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. A SHUTTLE CREW—NEW BLOOD, FRESH SUPPLIES—WOULD SOON ARRIVE. ASTRONAUT CLAYTON ANDERSON, THE ONLY AMERICAN ABOARD SINCE THAT JUNE, WAS READY FOR NEW PEOPLE TO TALK TO.

First, though, he had to deal with Mission Control. Anderson had come aboard the ISS with the explicit goal of improving procedures for future crews; his work on the ground had included astronaut support and communications. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that he regularly felt annoyed by the tedious processes Houston demanded he follow. In preparation for the shuttle’s arrival, for instance, they had instructed him to remove a special spacewalk bag (storage for equipment like gloves and eyeglasses) from the airlock, place it in a second bag, take a new spacewalk bag from the arriving crew, remove the old bag from the outer bag, and give it to the new arrivals to put in the shuttle.

If you think that sounds convoluted, Anderson would agree. He tried to suggest a simpler approach, but the people on the ground weren’t interested. In fact, the flight director forwarded him an email containing their frustrated internal communications: “Why doesn’t he just be quiet and do what he’s told?” and “Why don’t they just bring him home?”