International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Thomas Pesquet has shared the latest video in a series offering tours of various parts of the orbiting outpost.
The latest one — shot with a 360-degree camera — takes us inside the station’s Node 3 module, also known as Tranquility.
Node 3 comprises a cylindrical hull 14.8 feet (4.5 meters) in diameter and nearly 23 feet (7 meters) in length. As the French astronaut reveals, the module is one of the most frequented parts of the space station. This is partly because it’s home to the station’s gym, with its treadmill and other exercise facilities enabling astronauts to keep in good shape and maintain muscle mass while living in microgravity conditions.
Another reason it’s busy is that it contains one of the station’s three space toilets, a unique contraption expertly demonstrated by an earlier ISS visitor, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy.
Node 3 also acts as the station’s recycling center for air and water, while also providing storage space for supplies and other equipment.
The module connects to the popular Cupola module, the seven-window dome that offers astronauts mesmerizing vistas of Earth and beyond, and also provides clear views for assisting spacewalks or monitoring spacecraft as they approach or depart the ISS.
As it’s a 360-degree video, you can follow Pesquet around the module by moving your mobile device around (or you can simply use your finger to drag the picture). If you’re watching on a PC or laptop, use your mouse to drag the image to keep the astronaut in the picture. The tour is given in French but English subtitles can be turned on.
Pesquet’s other recent videos include a look inside the Node 2 module, also known as Harmony and described as the “crossroads” of the ISS. He also shows us around the Columbus module, a research facility that was brought to the station by a NASA space shuttle in 2008, eight years after the habitable satellite started hosting astronauts for long-duration stays.
Another video offers a good look at Nauka, the station’s newest module that caused quite a stir when it arrived in July.
