“Houston, we have a problem.” Immortal words that have become a by-word for an emergency, not just in space, but anywhere on Earth. (Wrongly quoted words as it turns out – the original phrase uttered being “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”)

Space missions are amazingly well-prepared affairs, every action and procedure is followed, right down to the most minute detail. But sometimes mishaps and emergencies occur. Some can be dealt with by sophisticated sensors and equipment. Some can be dealt with on Earth from Mission Control. But sometimes the only option is for an astronaut to get their hands dirty, using whatever comes to hand and a bit of DIY know-how. It’s amazing what has been grabbed, bent and improvised to save red faces – or, indeed, the lives of astronauts.

In tribute to those cosmic travellers who kept their head when we might have lost ours, here is our rundown of the five greatest space hacks:

5. The Space Shuttle fly swatter

If ever there was a time when the Space Shuttle programme resembled the opening sequence of the movie, Gravity, it was the early 1980s. Sure, none of the astronauts looked quite as square-jawed as George Clooney, but they were regularly whizzing around on space walks, fixing satellites and generally appeared to be having a good time.