# What are the astronauts in orbit doing during the shutdown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113 "2013-10-01T17:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/21 "2013-10-01T20:36:12Z")
Staying alive, watching plants and animals grow, is a standard part of the human condition. Once you get past the initial rush, mundane is good. Mundane means business as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/22 "2013-10-01T20:46:09Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Mundane means business as usual. I can’t help but think we didn’t build a $150B installation to extend mundanity. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/23 "2013-10-01T20:47:28Z")
Growing plants and animals -_in space!_ is the first step towards \*living \*in space. It’s the most technologically advanced sort of mundanity. Edit- space toilets. Talk about your exotic mundanity, no? ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/24 "2013-10-01T20:59:12Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Activities necessary to protect life and properties are excepted. Astronauts maintain the space station and keep it operational and safe, which also protects their own lives. > > Also, things like keeping lab animals alive also count as “protecting properties.” Makes sense. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/25 "2013-10-01T21:29:33Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Growing plants and animals -_in space!_ is the first step towards \*living \*in space. It’s the most technologically advanced sort of mundanity. Yeah, yeah, I know. We can go up there and dance in our underwear and breathe and poop and everything. Skylab was launched in 1973 and was occupied for 171 days. Mir was launched in 1986 and was occupied for 3641 days. ISS was first occupied in November, 2000, so we’re past day 4,700. Not too many are left, as the station is wearing out and is scheduled to be de-orbited in something a lot less than ten more years - two, by some accounts. Can anyone name one single piece of significant outcome from those 8,500 days? IMHO, “Whee, we can do it” is good for no more than 10 days per station, and then it’s time to DO something besides run piddly little experiments that have no subsequent interest or use. I used to be a space geek. Now I’m waiting, probably fruitlessly, for a manned space effort that goes past “Day 5000: Still breathing. Ain’t we great?” that most space geeks still seem to be able to geekgasm about. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/26 "2013-10-02T05:22:20Z")
I think that they’re working on their resumes. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113/27 "2013-10-02T07:12:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Can anyone name one single piece of significant outcome from those 8,500 days?. Tang!!! The breakfast juice of the astronauts!!! My mother says it was the only way to get me to eat before going to school. In 1964. And yes, I know the legend ain’t true…Tang was being sold before NASA was created. But NASA made it cool . And feeling cool is the only reason why the space program still exists. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-astronauts-in-orbit-doing-during-the-shutdown/670113.md?page=1)