Skip to main content

Astronaut marks 100 days on ISS with cool Cupola pic

German astronaut Matthias Maurer has marked his 100th day aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by sharing a photo of himself inside the orbiting outpost’s Cupola module.

The European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut arrived at the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with three crewmates in November 2021.

Related Videos
Astronaut Matthias Maurer aboard the space station.
ESA

In a lighthearted tweet marking the first 100 days of what will be a six-month mission, ESA summed up Maurer’s stay so far, writing:

“That’s 100 days of:

– being poked/prodded for science
– running experiments
– maintaining the @Space_Station
– taking photos of Earth
– recording ISS tours & more! How he’s keepin’ it 100”

#ICYMI @astro_matthias marked 100 days in space for #CosmicKiss 🎉 That's 100 days of:
💉being poked/prodded for science
🧪running experiments
🔩maintaining the @Space_Station
📸taking photos of 🌍
📹 recording ISS tours & more! How he's keepin' it 100 👉 https://t.co/XYmskVcPqs pic.twitter.com/Rgqp5O59mD

— Human Spaceflight (@esaspaceflight) February 25, 2022

The photo shows Maurer inside the station’s seven-window Cupola, a key part of the ISS that offers astronauts expansive views of the orbital facility, Earth, and beyond.

It’s from here that astronauts take many of their stunning photos of Earth, with Maurer himself sharing some of his own impressive efforts on social media.

The module also allows astronauts to monitor and assist spacecraft approaching and departing the space station, and is also a useful vantage point for keeping an eye on spacewalks outside the ISS.

As ESA points out, Maurer has been keeping busy during what is his first-ever space mission.

Besides working on scientific projects and all the other serious stuff that astronauts have to get on with, life on the space station also involves the kind of chores experienced by many folks back on terra firma, though the microgravity conditions mean they’re performed in a slightly different way than on Earth.

Maurer recently had a haircut, for example, a process that involves connecting a trimmer to a vacuum cleaner’s hose to ensure the cut hair doesn’t float off and cause problems on the station by getting in astronauts’ eyes or clogging up vents.

We’ve also seen Maurer working out using some of the space station’s fitness equipment, with such activities vital for maintaining muscle mass and bone density in the challenging microgravity conditions. Astronauts on the habitable satellite are required to take two hours of physical exercise each and every day during a mission.

Maurer also plays his part in keeping the space station clean, though using a vacuum cleaner in space looks like a lot more fun than it does on Earth, where gravity results in a rather more mundane experience.

Untangling a headphone wire, on the hand, looks just as annoying as it does on Earth.

Maurer and his three Crew-3 colleagues are set to return to Earth toward the end of April 2022.

Editors' Recommendations

Watch highlights of NASA’s second spacewalk of 2023
Earth as seen from the space station.

NASA has successfully completed its second spacewalk of the year at the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan's Koichi Wakata of NASA counterpart JAXA spent 6 hours and 41 minutes outside the orbital outpost on Thursday before returning inside at 2:26 p.m. ET.

Read more
SpaceX offers ride to Soyuz astronaut in case of ISS emergency
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the ISS.

Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft suffered damage at the International Space Station (ISS) in December when a leak caused it to lose a large amount of coolant.

Following an investigation, NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, decided to send a replacement Soyuz spacecraft on February 20.

Read more
Astronaut’s stunning image of Key West looks like a painting
Key West from the ISS.

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata has been showing off his photography skills, sharing some impressive shots taken from the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbited Earth on Sunday.

The most impressive among his latest set is this stunner (below) of Key West at the western tip of the Florida Keys archipelago.

Read more