When John Glenn became the first astronaut to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962, he had to endure the Mercury capsule's measly 36 cubic feet of space for only four hours and 55 minutes. When he rode the space shuttle Discovery 36 years later— for eight days and 20 hours— each crew member got 332 cubic feet of space.
Photo courtesy of NASA
Aboard the Belgica, off Antarctica, May 20, 1898:
As the snow swirls and temperatures plummet below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, explorer Frederick Cook, stuck with his men on an icebound ship, writes in his log: "We are as tired of each other's company as we are of the cold monotony of the black night and of the unpalatable sameness of our food. Physically, mentally, and perhaps morally, then, we are depressed, and from my past experience I know that this depression will increase."
