MUST KNOW FACTS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS)

As of 2023, there are two fully operational space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO) – the International Space Station (ISS) and China's Tian gong Space Station (TSS).

AI generated image of ISS

Here are some of the few astonishing facts about International Space Station

• The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. 

• Actually, The space station is a laboratory available for long-duration microgravity research.

• ISS helps to prepare for human missions that reach farther into space than ever before.

• Several nations worked together to build and use the space station, those are Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan.

•  It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes.

• International Space Station crews experience a sunset or a sunrise every 45 minutes. 

• The space station has the volume of a five-bedroom house. It can support a crew of six people, plus visitors. On Earth, the space station would weigh almost a million pounds. 

• There is a total of 36 modules present. The modules are areas where the astronauts live and work. Astronauts are deployed to assemble and disassemble parts.

• In November 1998, the first module named Zarya of ISS was launched into orbit. Zarya (control module) was launched by a Russian rocket.

• After deploying all necessary modules, the first crew reached the station on November 2, 2000. People have lived on the space station ever since.

• Since its launch, the space station has been extended with newer modules and equipment. 

• The construction of the full version of the space station was completed in 2011. Apart from these central installations, thousands of repairs and updates have been done frequently.

• The International Space Station (ISS) does not use a MET (Mission elapsed time) clock, since it is a "permanent" and international mission. Mission Elapsed Time (MET) is used by NASA during their space missions, most notably during their Space Shuttle missions. The ISS observes Greenwich Mean Time (UTC/GMT). 

• Astronauts who live in International Space Station recycles 93% of their water.

• ISS astronauts gather waste material and then keep it on the space station for several months till the Cygnus cargo vehicle comes. Once it reached, the astronauts put multiple trash bags into it and release it. Soon enough, the spacecraft de-orbits and gets burned down while trying to enter the Earth’s atmosphere again.

• The Cygnus spacecraft is used to carry crew supplies, spare equipment and scientific experiments to the space station.

• Toilets in ISS use airflow to pull urine and faeces away from the body and into the proper receptacles

• On the ISS, faeces are collected, treated to prevent bacterial growth, and later sent to burn up in the atmosphere

• This disposal method will not be available for missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

• In ISS, Urine is boiled in the distillation assembly. The distillation assembly is the core of the machinery that converts human urine into clean drinking water. This reuse helps reduce costs associated with launching heavy water shipments to the station from Earth.

• The air and water on the Space Station all originally came from Earth.

• Most of the station's oxygen will come from a process called "electrolysis," which uses electricity from the ISS solar panels to split water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. Followed by O2 in a pressurised storage tank.

• From satellite deployment to in-space research, a vibrant commercial space economy has developed, with a value that now exceeds $345 billion. The space station has been a crucial part of supporting that growth.

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Source:

NASA official website.