International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multi-national construction project that is the single largest structure ever put into space. Its main construction was completed between 1998 and 2011, although the station is constantly evolving to include new missions and experiments. It has been in continuous possession since November 2, 2000.

As of January 2018, 230 individuals from 18 countries have visited the International Space Station. Participating countries include the United States (145 people) and Russia (46 people). Astronauts' time on the space station and research time is allocated to space agencies to determine how much money or resources (such as modules or robotics) they contribute. The ISS includes contributions from 15 nations. NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), and the European Space Agency are major partners in the space station, contributing most of the funding; Other partners are the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

Current plans call for the space station to run at least until 2024, with partners discussing possible expansion by 2028. After that, plans for the space station are not clearly defined. It can be corrupted, or recycled to future space stations in orbit.

The ISS crew is assisted by mission control centers in Houston and Moscow and a payload control center in Huntsville, Alama. Other international mission control centers support space stations in Japan, Canada, and Europe. The ISS can also be controlled by mission control centers in Houston or Moscow. [Photos: Space Station Expedition 32 Mission]

Finding a space station in the sky

The space station flies at an altitude of 248 miles (400 kilometers) above the earth. It travels around the world every 90 minutes at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 km / h). In one day, the station travels the distance from Earth to the Moon and back.

The space station can brightly rival the bright planet Venus and appear as a bright dynamic light in the night sky. It can be seen from Earth without the use of a telescope by night sky observers, who know when and where to look. You can use this NASA application to find out when and where to find the location of the International Space Station.

Crew formation and activities

The ISS typically has a crew of three to six people (full six-person size was possible after 2009 when station facilities could support it). But the crew sizes vary over the years. After the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003, which had been in flight for many years, the small Russian Soyuz spacecraft crew was as small as two people due to its low capacity to take people into space. The space station has housed up to 13 people several times, but only for a few days during a crew changeover or space shuttle visit.

The space shuttle fleet retired in 2011, leaving Soyuz as the only current method of bringing people into the ISS. Three astronauts fly to the Soyuz spacecraft's space station and spend about six months there at a time. Sometimes, the length of the mission varies slightly due to the spacecraft's schedule or special events (such as a one-year crew who stayed on the station between 2015 and 2016). Soyuz vehicles docked the ISS.

Starting in 2019 or 2020, commercial crew vehicles Dragon (via SpaceX) and CST-100 (via Boeing) are expected to increase ISS crew numbers as they can bring in more astronauts at a time than Soyuz. When U.S. commercial vehicles become available, demand for Soyuz will be lower as NASA will buy fewer seats from the Russians for its astronauts.

Astronauts spend most of their time on ISS experiments and maintenance and devote at least two hours each day to exercise and personal care. They also occasionally do spacewalks, do media/school programs for outreach, and post updates on social media, such as Canadian astronaut Chris Headfield, the ISS commander who did in 2013. It did so in May 2009 from the space shuttle.)

ISS is a platform for long-term research for human health that NASA seeks as an important stone to allow humans to explore other places in the solar system, such as the moon or Mars. Changes in microgravity in the human body, including changes in muscles, bones, cardiovascular system, and eyes; Many scientific investigations are trying to characterize how serious the charges are and whether they can be reversed. (Eye problems are of particular concern to the agency, as the cause is unclear and astronauts are reporting a permanent change in vision after returning to Earth.)

Astronauts also take part in the investigation of commercial products - such as espresso machines or 3D printers - or biological experiments, such as on rats or plants, that astronauts can grow and sometimes eat-in space.

The crew is responsible not only for the science but also for the maintenance of the station. Sometimes, this requires them to venture on the spacewalk to make repairs. From time to time, these repairs can be immediate - such as when a part of the ammonia system fails, which often happens. Spacewalk safety procedures were changed after the potentially fatal 2013 incident when astronaut Luca Permitono's helmet was filled with water while he was working outside the station. NASA now responds quickly to incidents of "water intrusion." Pads have also been added to the spacesuits to steep the liquid, and the helmet should be filled with water in a hose to provide an alternative place to breathe.

NASA is also investigating the Technology, which could complement or replace the astronaut spacewalk. An example is Robot. Currently, the prototype switch on the station is capable of flipping and performing other routine tasks under supervision, and can be modified at some stage to work "out". [Infographic: Meet Robonat 2, NASA's Space Droid]

Records in space

When it comes to crews, the ISS has set many significant targets over the years:

Most consecutive days in space by an American: 340 days, which happened when Scott Kelly took part in a one-year mission to the International Space Station in 2015-16 (with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korninko). Space agencies conducted an extensive suite of experiments on astronauts, including a "twin study" with Kelly and her former Earth-bound astronaut twins, Mark. NASA has expressed interest in a longer-term mission, although it has not yet been announced.

Longest single spaceflight by a woman: 289 days, during American astronaut Peggy Whitson's 2016-17 mission to the space station.

Most time spent in space by a woman: Again, it's Peggy Whitson, who racked up most of her 665 days in space on the ISS.

Most women living in space at the same time: This happened in April 2010 when women from two spaceflight missions met on the ISS. These include Tracy Cuddwell Dyson (who flew on a Soyuz spacecraft for a long-term mission) and NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenberger and Japan's Naoko Yamazaki, who was on a space shuttle on his short STS-131 mission.

Largest space gathering: During NASA's late 2009 STS-127 shuttle mission, 13 people. (He's tied up a few times during the next mission.)

Longest single spacewalk: 8 hours and 56 minutes during STS-102 for ISS construction mission in 2001. NASA astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms participated.

The longest Russian spacewalk: 8 hours and 13 minutes during Expedition 54, to repair the ISS antenna. Russian astronauts Alexander Misurkin and Anton Skapalerov participated.

Structure

The space station, including its vast solar array, is located in the U.S. The area of ​​the football field, including the end zone, and weighs 616161,04 pounds. (391,000 kg), not including visiting vehicles. The complex now has more comfortable rooms than a traditional five-bedroom house and has two bathrooms, gym facilities, and a 360-degree bay window. The astronauts also compared the space station's accommodation to the cabin of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

The International Space Station was taken into space-to-peace and gradually built into orbit using the space king King astronauts and robotics. Most missions used NASA's space shuttle to hold heavy plays, although some individual modules were launched on single-use rockets. The ISS includes modules and connecting nodes that have living quarters and laboratories, as well as external trusses that provide structural support, and solar panels that provide power.

The first module, Russia Zarya, was launched on November 20, 1998, on a proton rocket. Two weeks later, the space shuttle Flight STS-88 launched the NASA Unity / Node 1 module. The astronauts took a spacewalk during STS-88 to connect the two parts of the station together; Later, other pieces of the station were launched on rockets or in the space shuttle cargo bay. [Rare Photos: Space Shuttle on Space Station] Some of the other major modules and components include:

1. Truss, Aerolox, and Solar Panels (new ISS launched in phases over a lifetime; docking adapters for new commercial spacecraft were launched in 2017)
2. Zvezda (Russia; started in 2000)
3. Destiny Laboratory Module (NASA; Launched 2001)
4. CanadaDerm 2 Robotic Arm (CSA; Launch 2001). It was originally used only for spacewalks and remote-controlled repairs. Today it is regularly used to provide berths to cargo spacecraft for its space station - a spacecraft that cannot use other ports.
5. Harmony / Node 2 (NASA; launch 2007)
6. Columbus Orbital Facility (ESA; Launched 2008)
7. Dextre Robotic Hand (CSA; Launch 2008)
8. Japanese Experiment Module or Kibo (launched between 2008-09)
9. Coppola Window and Sukhita / Node 3 (started 2010)
10. Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (ESA; launched in 2011 for permanent residence, although previously used to transport cargo to and from stations)
11. Big Expansion Activity Module (Private module launched in 2016)

Spacecraft for the space station

In addition to the space shuttle and Soyuz, the space station has been visited by many other types of spacecraft. Uncrewed Progress (Russia) vehicles visit the station regularly. Europe's automatic transfer vehicle and Japan's H-2 transfer vehicle also visited the ISS until their programs were retired.

NASA began developing commercial cargo spacecraft on the space station under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, which ran from 2006 to 2013. The first phase of NASA's Commercial Response Services program continues today with an entrance spacecraft from the Dragon and Orbital Attic. Dragon, Entrance, and Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser all have CRS-2 agreements expected to cover flights between 2019 and 2024.