International Space Station (ISS)There’s not much free time on the International Space Station, which explains why it takes so long to finish a game of Scrabble. In Saturday’s installment of The Guardian’sDo Something Guide to Games“, astronaut Chris Hadfield describes how boardgames are played on the ISS. As it turns out, they’re played very slowly. And with a lot of velcro.

Hadfield writes that games like Scrabble are encouraged to “help keep us sane” as boardgames are “fundamental for peace of mind”. Scrabble, a game that the astronaut has played with his family off and on for the past five decades, is one of his favorites. On the space station, the board is affixed to the ceiling. Letter tiles are attached to the board with Velcro. During breaks or meals, players plan their next moves. Due to the heavy workload, games can take months. Mission controls in five countries “are all scheduling your day, for the entire time you are up there….It’s an over-saturated life, where you occasionally get the time to play Scrabble.”

Read the full article at The Guardian.