16. We have read that astronauts spend time training under water. Does this mean that to go through space training we have to know how to swim? (A K2S Question)

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Astronauts do train for their extra vehicular activity (EVA) spacewalks by practicing underwater. They do not need to know how to swim though, because they are in their spacesuits breathing air and just move around by riding the Shuttle robotic arm or by climbing hand over hand along handholds on the side of the Space Station. Private spaceflight training will probably not involve underwater training so you will not have to know how to swim either.

Answer provided by Tim Bailey & Loretta Hidalgo


Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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