The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Orbiting around an atmosphere
Former Nasa astronaut Terry Virts shares his tips on successful flat sharing
The International Space Station (ISS) has a cramped assortment of corridors, labs and claustrophobic crew quarters, but despite the lack of privacy and personal space in space, astronauts live in peace for months on end and get on like a house on fire.
Down on Earth, however, the harmony in a typical flatshare can be easily unsettled – often triggered by toilet paper, dirty dishes, loud music and milk theft.
In a bid to help earth’s flatmates achieve the kind of shared living serenity that comes so easily to astronauts, SpareRoom appointed former Nasa astronaut and ISS commander Terry Virts to the unique role of House Share Goodwill Ambassador.
Terry said: “The ISS cost over £100billion and is arguably one of the most important shared living spaces for the human race. So you can see why space agencies spend so much time and money ensuring their astronauts have the right personality traits and training to all get along in space.
“Because, let’s face it, it’s not so easy for them to just move out when they’re orbiting 250 miles above the Earth!
“But astronauts are still people – which means conflict will happen sometimes – so knowing how to relate to others and deal with stress is a valuable skill that can make a big difference.
“While the stakes might be higher on a space station than in an apartment, the psychology and training used to ensure astronauts don’t get into arguments can be easily adapted and applied to flatmates.
“I hope that by passing on some of what I’ve learned from my time in space I can help flatmates across the planet live together in peace and harmony.” Terry’s out of this world advice includes:
It might sound obvious, but it is important to respect each other’s personal space, as in both space and flatshares, sometimes it can be limited! As great as it is to spend time with each other, make sure you give yourself and others some room to breathe now and then. Nasa taught us that mentally stimulating tasks like playing a game or reading a book were a good way of having some solo downtime, so give it a go!
Make sure you help out around the house and do your cleaning.
Astronauts are just like the rest of us when it comes to chores, they aren’t fun, but they have to be done!
When I was in space we stuck to a strict schedule and cleaned the International Space Station for 2-4 hours every Saturday morning – it’s actually kept cleaner than a lot of places on Earth. share of the Don’t take someone else’s food or drink without asking – you should always get permission first and make sure you replace anything you borrow. Form good habits, and respect boundaries and all will be well.
If something is bothering you, make sure you talk about it rather than simmering in silence, or worse, leaving passive aggressive notes for your flatmates to find. Most of all, don’t pick a fight, just be honest and work through things amicably.
Using the toilet in space isn’t a simple case of ‘to boldly go’. Although complex, we still managed to replace the toilet paper and leave the lavatory in a good state for the next user. This is such a quick and easy thing to do in a flatshare and can prevent conflict. Be mindful of how much time you spend in the shower and be aware of who is in the queue behind you.
One of the benefits of a flatshare is that you often have free choice of who you want to live with.
Before space training even starts, astronauts are rigorously put through their paces to check they are compatible with each other in order to avoid any potential conflict when in space.
With this in mind, be sure to meet your potential flatmates before moving into the property to see whether you get along.