International Space Station 'so cramped' astronaut is forced to camp in tiny shuttle

International Space Station 'so cramped' astronaut is forced to camp in tiny shuttle A record-breaking flight brought four new astronauts to the International Space Station, including Jessica Watkins, who made history as the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit An astronaut is having to camp out in a small shuttle as the International Space Station (ISS) is too cramped. Four new arrivals landed at the ISS, bringing the total number of people aboard to 11, as the crew prepares for a six-month science mission. Their arrival has forced NASA astronaut Jessica Meir to give up her sleeping quarters to newcomer Luke Delaney. Instead, she has taken a sleeping bag into the small SpaceX Dragon spacecraft attached to the ISS. In an update on social media, she said: “Room with a view. Check out my new digs as I camp out in Dragon until our departure. With Crew-13’s arrival we have a very full house on the Space Station. Luke is living in my previous crew quarters, and I’ve pitched a tent in Dragon.” The new crew launched from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, October 1, before reaching the space station in a record-breaking journey of just eight hours. The SpaceX flight was commanded by NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, a geologist who previously worked with the Curiosity Mars rover science team. The flight marked a historic first for Watkins as she became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. But it is not the first time she has made history. During her first spaceflight in 2022, she became the first Black woman to live and work aboard the International Space Station as part of a long-duration mission. Joining her on the express flight were NASA’s Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The four astronauts joined the Expedition 75 crew, which includes NASA’s Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Anil Menon, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Anna Kikina and Andrey Fedyaev. Their arrival brought the number of people aboard the ISS to 11 - but despite the squeeze, the space station has seen more people at once before. The record stands at 14 people, which has been reached three times. Meir, who has spent 234 days in space and is set to return on Wednesday, has meanwhile been camping out in Dragon ahead of her departure. The capsule is used to ferry crews to and from Earth and has a pressurised interior volume of 9.3 cubic metres and an outer height of 4.5 metres. In a video from space, she added: “Good morning from my dragon lair. Now that Crew 13 has arrived, I’ve given up my crew quarters and I’m camping out in my dragon vehicle. Here’s my view right next to my sleeping bag. “Outside my window here, the earth and the Crew 13 dragon. A gorgeous view. Reminds me of my best piece of advice to them. Remember to look out the window and realise where you are. "And I think that kind of advice goes for everybody down on earth as well. Have a good day."