Once upon a time, in a cozy little house at the edge of a sleepy town, lived a curious child named Riley. Riley’s favorite person in the world was their parent, Mama Jo. Mama Jo had a very special job—she was an astronaut! Every night, before bedtime, Riley would ask Mama Jo a million questions about space and stars and rockets. But tonight, as a soft breeze danced through the open window, Riley had the biggest question of all.

“Mama Jo,” Riley whispered, snuggling deeper under the blanket, “what is it really like living up there, on the International Space Station? What do you do all day? Is it… kind of like camping in the sky?”

Mama Jo smiled warmly and tucked Riley in. “Oh, it’s even more special than camping, Riley. Let me tell you all about it.” And as the moonlight painted silver shapes on the walls, Mama Jo’s voice carried Riley on a magical journey, far above the world.

“First,” Mama Jo began, “imagine waking up and not feeling the bed under your back. That’s because, in space, everything floats! When I open my eyes in the morning, I’m not lying down—I’m just drifting in my sleeping bag, which is attached to the wall with velcro and straps so I don’t float across the room!”

Riley giggled. “So you’re like a sleepy balloon?”

“Exactly!” Mama Jo laughed. “I unzip my sleeping bag, and—whoosh!—I gently float out. The first thing I do is zip over to the window to peek at Earth. Sometimes, I see snowy mountains, deep blue oceans, or even a twinkling city at night. The view always reminds me how big and beautiful our home planet is.”

Riley closed their eyes, imagining Mama Jo floating past a window with the whole world spinning below. “But how do you get ready for the day if you’re floating?”

Mama Jo grinned. “That’s a good question! Brushing my teeth is a little different up there. I have a special toothpaste I swallow, because there’s no sink for spitting! Water comes out in little floating globs, and I catch them with my toothbrush. I have to be careful, or else the water will float away and stick to the walls!”

Riley’s eyes grew wide. “What about your hair?”

“Well,” Mama Jo continued, “I use a rinse-less shampoo and a comb. I squeeze some onto my scalp and rub it in, then wipe with a towel. There’s no shower, so I have to keep clean this way.”

“Wow.” Riley was amazed. “What do you wear?”

“We wear comfy clothes—like pajamas or tracksuits. They’re easy to move in. There’s no laundry machine, though, so we wear the same clothes for a few days before swapping for fresh ones! Dirty clothes get packed up to be thrown away later.”

Mama Jo floated her hand gently over Riley’s head, as if to show how she’d drift in the station. “After getting ready, I zip down to the kitchen—or, what we call the galley. But it’s not like our kitchen at home. We eat food from pouches and cans, because refrigerators don’t work in space. Most of our meals are freeze-dried or vacuum-sealed.”

“Do you eat pizza?” Riley asked hopefully.

Mama Jo chuckled. “No pizzas, but sometimes we have tortillas with peanut butter and honey, or scrambled eggs in a pouch, or macaroni and cheese! On special days, a cargo ship brings treats from Earth—like a real apple, or a bag of gummy bears.”

Riley smiled, thinking about gummy bears floating in the space station. “What do you drink?”

“We drink water, mostly. It’s extra special, because the space station recycles it! Even our breath and sweat get turned back into water. We have packets of juice and coffee, too. Each packet has a straw with a clamp, so the drinks don’t float away.”

Riley wrinkled their nose. “Do you ever spill?”

“Sometimes!” Mama Jo admitted. “Once, I accidentally squeezed too hard and a glob of orange juice floated away. I had to chase it and slurp it up before it reached the computers!”

Riley laughed and squirmed under the blanket, pretending to chase a runaway juice blob. “What do you do after breakfast?”

“Next,” said Mama Jo, “it’s time for work! Everyone on the space station has jobs. Some astronauts are scientists, some are engineers, and others are doctors. My job is to run experiments. Imagine growing plants in space, or mixing weird liquids to see how they act without gravity! Sometimes I watch how tiny bugs live, or help test new medicines.”

“Are there any animals on the station?” Riley asked, eyes round with wonder.

“Sometimes! We’ve had bees, spiders, fish, mice, and even tiny worms. It helps us learn how living things change in space. Once, we even tried to grow zinnias, a kind of flower. It was amazing to see a little green shoot reaching for the window, looking for sunlight, just like at home.”

Riley pictured flowers floating in the air. “Do you ever go outside?”

Mama Jo nodded. “Sometimes, I get to do a spacewalk. That means wearing a huge white suit and stepping outside the station. I hold onto handrails and glide along, fixing antennas or collecting samples. Everything feels quiet and magical out there. The stars are sharp and bright, and the Earth glows blue and green below. It’s like swimming in the night sky.”

“Were you scared?” Riley breathed.

“A little,” Mama Jo admitted, squeezing Riley’s hand. “But mostly, I felt amazed. You practice a lot, and your friends are always watching from inside to make sure you’re safe. We talk to each other using radios in our helmets.”

“What about exercise?” Riley asked, suddenly remembering how Mama Jo liked to jog at home.

“Ah, exercise is very important in space!” Mama Jo explained. “Because there’s no gravity, our bones and muscles get weak if we don’t move enough. So, every day, we run on a treadmill that has bungee cords to hold us down. We also use a special bike and a weight machine that works with air pressure. Sometimes, we do flips and spins for fun, too!”

Riley giggled, imagining Mama Jo bouncing around like a toy robot. “What happens if you have to go to the bathroom?” Riley asked, a little embarrassed.

Mama Jo laughed softly. “Everyone wonders about that! We have a special toilet that uses fans and air flow to pull everything away. You have to buckle yourself in, so you don’t float off the seat. It takes some getting used to!”

“Do you ever get bored?” Riley wondered aloud.

“Sometimes, yes,” Mama Jo replied honestly. “But there’s always something new to see or learn. We call our families, read books, and watch movies together. On weekends, we have movie nights or play music. We even celebrated birthdays and holidays! I remember floating through the station in a Santa hat, giving everyone little presents.”

Riley smiled, imagining Mama Jo as a space Santa. “Do you miss home?”

Mama Jo’s eyes softened. “I do. I miss you most of all. Sometimes, I look out the window and think of you looking up at the stars, and I feel close to you, even though I’m so far away.”

Riley squeezed Mama Jo’s hand tightly. “How do you talk to us when you’re up there?”

“We use the radio, and sometimes we have video calls. There’s a delay, but hearing your voice always makes my day. I write emails too, and sometimes send pictures of Earth from above.”

“Do you ever see aliens?” Riley asked, curiosity getting the best of them.

Mama Jo smiled mysteriously. “No aliens yet, but the universe is very big. We keep a lookout, just in case.”

“What about when you go to sleep at night?” Riley asked, yawning.

“At bedtime,” Mama Jo whispered, “I zip into my sleeping bag and find a quiet spot. Some astronauts sleep on the ceiling, or on the wall! I listen to the gentle hum of the station and watch Earth spinning below, all blue and white and peaceful. Sometimes, I see lightning storms dancing across the clouds, or the green shimmer of the Northern Lights. It’s the most magical nightlight you can imagine.”

Riley’s eyes drooped, and they nestled closer to Mama Jo. “What happens if you have a bad dream?”

“If I have a bad dream,” Mama Jo said softly, “I think about you, and all the people I love. I remember Earth is waiting for me, and that gives me courage.”

“Will you go back to space again?” Riley mumbled sleepily.

“Maybe one day,” Mama Jo replied. “But for now, I’m happy to be home with you, telling you stories about the stars.”

Riley smiled dreamily. “I want to be an astronaut like you, Mama Jo.”

Mama Jo kissed Riley’s forehead and whispered, “You can be anything you dream, Riley. The universe is waiting for you.”

As Riley drifted off to sleep, their dreams floated higher and higher, up past the clouds, all the way to the International Space Station. In their mind, they zipped through the modules, chased floating water droplets, watched flowers grow, and drifted off to sleep under a blanket of faraway stars.

And down on Earth, with the soft glow of the moon shining through the window, Mama Jo watched over Riley, knowing that every bedtime story helped their child discover a little more of the world—and the wonders that lay beyond.

And as the night deepened, Riley’s dreams sparkled with possibilities, because discovery doesn’t end when the story is over. It only just begins.

The end.