The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). The ISS is the largest space station ever built. Its primary purpose is to perform microgravity and space environment experiments.
- The International Space Station, which has been specially built keeping in mind the facilities of humans, the space station is also known as the orbital station. It has been designed keeping in mind all the facilities for the living of humans. In other words, it is such a man-made space station.
- This station is like a kind of platform from where the surveillance of the earth is done, and the secrets of the space can be understood. Even today, there are many such mysteries in space that we do not know about. Many countries often send their space missions to space to know these mysteries. The International Space Station has been built to know these mysteries in a better way.
- When and how did
In 1980, that time US
President Ronald Reagan announced that NASA would start building the
station within 10 years, but it was delayed due to some funding and
technical glitches. Its old name is ‘Freedom’. In 1993, Russia,
the Europe Space Agency and Japan also agreed to join it.
- The installation of the ISS station started on 20 November 1998 when Russia's control module Zarya was sent into space. The International Space Station was taken into space in small components and installed in its orbit and for a few years all the parts were connected together in space. Along with time more countries started to join this project. By 2009, this space station was completely ready. Astronauts have been working in this station continuously since November 2, 2000.
- $160 billion i.e. 11 lakh crore indian rupees have been spent to build the ISS. 16 countries America, Russia, Canada, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain have made their major contribution in building it.
- The International Space Station was created as a space environment research laboratory where astronauts and station members could experiment in different scientific fields such as biology, physics, astronomy and metrology. Those experiments are done in the International Space Station which normally cannot be performed on the earth due to the force of gravity.
- So far, more than 200 astronauts from 18 different countries have gone to the International Space Station. The maximum time any astronaut can stay on the station is only 6 months. Every 3 months, the Soyuz spacecraft transports three astronauts from Earth to the station and on its return back to Earth with three astronauts. Although some astronauts have spent more than 6 months there.
- The International Space Station can hold about 6 astronauts at a time.
- When an astronaut steps out of this space station, it is called a spacewalk. On March 18, 1965, Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov performed the first spacewalk.
- This station is revolving around the Earth at a speed of 5 miles per second, that is, it takes one revolution of the Earth in 90 minutes.
- There are only two bathrooms in the entire station. Laboratory urine from astronauts and animals is filtered by a drinking water supply to be made it drinkable again. This space station also has a gym, 6 sleeping rooms and a 360-degree view window.
- Virus infection has occurred several times in 52 computers of the International Space Station. The virus that infected those computers for the first time was named W32 Gemmima.
- After returning from the International Space Station, the age of the astronauts becomes slightly less than the age of the people living on Earth. This happens because of relative velocity delayed time. Astronauts revolve around the Earth very fast while living in the station, due to which time slows down a little bit for them. Although this slow down time is not that much, being on the station for 6 months, the age of astronauts becomes 0.005 seconds less than normal person.
- On the station, it becomes some tasks very difficult to perform that are easily done on Earth, such as cutting their hair, therefore the astronauts shave their hair and beard with a razor that has a vacuum so that the cut hair could be collected at the right place, else they will keep floating all over the station.
- About 3,00,00,00 lines of computer code have been written which help in running the station.
- The station is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 400 km from the Earth. This altitude cannot be less than 300 km and not more than 700 km because at higher altitude, the radiation level increases very much, which can cause damage to the astronauts and if the altitude is less than 300 km, the gravitational force of the earth will can pull the station to reach the earth.
- The brightest thing visible at night in the sky from Earth is the International Space Station after Venus and the Moon. It looks like a fast flying plane from the earth. NASA has put information on its website about when and where the station will pass near your county.
- Due to the lack of gravity, the muscles and bones of the human body become weak, so all astronauts need exercise for at least 2 hours of a day to keep their body healthy.
- Oxygen in the station is made from the electrolysis of water. An electrical generator located in the station breaks down the water into hydrogen and oxygen and supplies oxygen throughout the station. This electric generator runs with the help of solar panels.
- There are more than 350,000 sensors in the station to check the station and the health of the astronauts.
- What is its future
Right now, the plan for
the future of the International Space Station is to run it until
2024. But the countries involved in building it have proposed to run
it till 2028 by negotiating among themselves. What will happen to it
after that is not clear yet. It can either be continued for some more
time or it can be destroyed and dropped into the Pacific Ocean. There
is also a proposal of Russia to make it a place for visitors and a
hotel. The Russian Space Agency has also taken some tourists to the
space station.
- Astronauts in the station perform experiments or maintain the machine throughout the day. They exercise for 2 hours every day and devotes some time to their care. Sometimes a week, they do spacewalks, gives interviews for a school or the media, and updates on social media.
- Astronauts must have good airflow around them when they sleep, otherwise, they could wake up oxygen-deprived and gasping for air because a bubble of their own exhaled carbon dioxide had formed around their heads.
- Low gravity makes it difficult to tell if your bladder is full because the bladder’s stretch receptor nerves don’t feel the weight of the liquid. Astronauts are trained to empty their bladders every two hours because of this.
- All astronauts have to learn how to speak Russian, and all cosmonauts have to learn how to speak English.
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