Astronauts on the International Space Station are not allowing vision issues to keep them from completing their important tasks on the orbiting laboratory. In fact, they are taking advantage of the opportunity to study why weightlessness alters vision.

Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk said about his mission to space, “It will be the supreme thrill of my life.” However, he was less than thrilled to report that the Earth’s ice caps seem to have melted since he was last in orbit 12 years ago.

Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk will have to do a lot of exercise when he settles in for an extended stay on board the International Space Station next year.