CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After four months on the expansive International Space Station (ISS), a pair of NASA astronaut have shared their day-to-day experiences of living high above it all.

Expedition Four

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In a pair of essays posted on NASA's Human Spaceflight Web site, space station astronauts Dan Bursch and Carl Walz discuss topics as varied as what it's like to float weightless outside the station, to seeing Mount Everest from above and the mixed feelings of spending the holidays with a pair of crewmates instead of your family.

Living and working on the orbital complex since December 2001 as part of the ISS Expedition Four mission along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Onufrienko, the two Americans paint both the technical and human sides of spaceflight in very personal terms.

Bursch describes what it felt like to fly over Mount Everest in his essay, "Expedition Four: 120 Day Report."

"One morning I happened to be up early. I glanced at our world map and saw that we'd be passing near Mt. Everest soon. I checked the computer, realized that we were in an attitude that would allow me to open the window shutter and there was Mt. Everest! It almost seemed to jump out at me. The low sun angle (it was close to orbital sunrise) gave tremendous relief to the mountains. It was just one of those sights that will be forever burned into my brain!"

In "Spacewalking, ISS Style," Carl Walz explains, in somewhat more technical terms than crewmate Bursch, the complexities of spacewalking but also sharing his impressions of the view from outside the orbiting outpost and the feelings of melancholy once it was over.

"The exterior of the Space Station looked just like new. It was very shiny and clean. It was very easy to move around the exterior, as there were lots of handholds along the way. Our long safety tethers were firmly attached to structure, and if that failed, we had the SAFER jet backpack to fly us back to the Station. We worked both night and day (remember we get sunrise 16 times a day), using our helmet lights to illuminate our paths when necessary."

"After the EVA was over, it was time to put all our space-walking gear away. It was kind of a sad time, similar to when you take down your Christmas tree and decorations after Christmas," laments Walz.

Bursch also acknowledges the "low points" of his journey, such as being told that the anticipated reunion with his family has been delayed by a month because of a slip in the launch date of the shuttle mission that is to be his ride home. He also touches upon a subject rarely broached in official accounts and press releases - what it's like to have an argument with your live-in roommates, 250 miles above the Earth.

"I finally realized the other day that living in the same enclosure with two other people for more than three months is a pretty unique experience. Working closely with someone is a big jump from an acquaintance. Living with someone is a big jump from working with them. And living and working together with only two other people for several months is yet another big jump. If you have a bad day, you can't just go for a walk. I have come to accept that all of us will have (and have had) good days and bad days."

Maybe he should print up bumper stickers to encourage future space station guests that say, "A bad day in orbit is better than a good day back on Earth."