The sleeping accommodations for the crew change from mission to mission, depending on how many crew members are on board. Sometimes the crew uses only sleeping bags . At other times they use a Òrigid sleep station,Ó which has beds stacked on top of each other like bunk beds. The sleep stations can accommodate three or four people. The beds have straps on them to make sure the astronauts donÕt float away while theyÕre sleeping.

The crew members are supplied with sleeping kits that contain ear plugs and eye covers. This helps to make sure they get a good ÒnightÕsÓ sleep. In space, there is no night and day. Each 24-hour period is divided into 16 hours of ÒawakeÓ time and eight hours of ÒsleepÓ time.