I’m moving out of my flat and taking up residence on the International Space Station. I’ve booked the movers who are sending a small lorry to take all my stuff to Elon’s house who is doing me a solid and giving me a lift the rest of the way. He’s a bit annoying but I don’t have many mate’s with a rocket. NASA tell me weight is no issue, but said I should do some research into what things will and won’t work on the station.
Obviously I need to cook, do the laundry, wash my dishes, watch TV, listen to music etc. What’s gonna work without causing problems up there? Will my washing machine work okay? Thanks for all your help.
When my washing machine gets unbalanced, it moves all over the floor. Now I’m picturing it bouncing off the ISS walls in 3 dimensions, going off down the hall, hitting a window…
They don’t have the water for that.
I think a gas stove would be right out.
They also don’t have 120VAC, so pretty much nothing you have will work.
Ignoring the question of whether the ISS has the correct electrical and plumbing hookups, I would imagine a washing machine would behave strangely in zero G. Even if the machine itself works, the clothes and water would probably just float around in the middle and not spin like they should. And I wonder if any of the parts of the machine depend on gravity in order to work properly.
Seems to me that a clothes washing machine requires gravity to work properly. Being in freefall would probably not work well.
So how will I clean my clothes? Will my iron even work? How about my dishwasher?
Take them down to the crick and beat them on the moon rocks, of course.
Your Roku device might have a bit of a lag.
Wear one set of clothes for a month straight. Then change and wear the next set of clothes for two months straight. Finally, change back into the first set of clothes: with only one month’s accumulated filth, they will feel clean by comparison. Rinse and repeat.
Hang the clothes outside for a day or two. Vacuum will effectively deodorize them.
Also make sure to pack plenty of microwave popcorn for the trip.
They do have ~125 VDC, though. A lot of modern stuff will work on that if you can jerry-rig the wiring. Most laptop/tablet/etc. chargers will be fine.
Almost anything with a big motor will be a problem, though. So no washer/dryer.
The fridge won’t work either; the lack of convection mean that the coils on the back won’t reject heat properly. And the motor sits in an oil bath, which won’t cool or lubricate the motor properly, and may even cause it to seize.
Anything that drains water won’t work. So no dishwasher either.
Overall, most modern electronics will work if you can adapt the wiring. But heavy appliances will be a problem. A few appliances may use modern switch-mode power supplies–I think the Dyson devices (vacuum, fans) tend to use small brushless motors that should work as well.
ETA: NASA isn’t going to be happy about any of this, since none of these devices will meet the safety (fire, etc.) standards required. John Young managed to smuggle a corned beef sandwich into space but good luck with that 65" TV.
Does it contain ex-Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott? If so, you may have a chance. And with all the other stuff, too, if he can get the grav-plating up and running.
You would need to buy a clothes washer from these kids.
I thought the ISS came furnished. All you need to bring are your favorite books and your Spotify password.
Sometimes you just need an outlet.
Charging items is very important.
Unless they have a sooper seekrit charger thingamajig up there.
How else could I charge my phone, my tablet, my personal fan and other things?
The Crew Dragon has USB ports onboard:
“We now have USB charging ports in this spacecraft,” Lindgren said. “This is something that goes to low Earth orbit and is going to get us to the space station, and I’m talking about USB ports.”
So you can charge your junk if you can sneak aboard. I think you can see a USB-C cable through this guy’s helmet:
You won’t. You will develop a smell, as everyone will. While you are asleep you will smell someone floating past and know who it is without openng your eyes.