> 10 facts you didn't know about the ISS
Most Interesting Facts about the ISS(International space station) with a photo: the life of astronauts, you can see the ISS from Earth, crew members, gravity, batteries.
The International Space Station (ISS) is one of the greatest achievements of all mankind in terms of the state of the art in history. The space agencies of the USA, Europe, Russia, Canada and Japan united in the name of science and education. It is a symbol of technological excellence and shows how much we can achieve when we work together. Listed below are 10 facts you may not have heard about the ISS.
1. The ISS celebrated its 10th anniversary of continuous human operation on November 2, 2010. Starting from the first expedition (October 31, 2000) and docking (November 2), 196 people from eight countries visited the station.
2. The ISS can be seen from Earth without the use of technology, and it is the largest artificial satellite ever orbiting our planet.
3. From the first Zarya module, launched at 1:40 am ET on November 20, 1998, the ISS completed 68,519 Earth orbits. Her odometer reads 1.7 billion miles (2.7 billion km).
4. As of November 2, 103 launches were made to the cosmodrome: 67 Russian vehicles, 34 shuttles, one European and one Japanese ship. 150 spacewalks were made to assemble the station and keep it running, which took over 944 hours.
5. The ISS is operated by a crew of 6 astronauts and cosmonauts. At the same time, the program of the station ensures the continuous presence of man in space since the launch of the first expedition on October 31, 2000, which is approximately 10 years and 105 days. Thus, the program has kept the current record, beating the previous mark of 3664 days set aboard the Mir.
6. The ISS serves as a research laboratory equipped with microgravity conditions, in which the crew conducts experiments in the field of biology, medicine, physics, chemistry and physiology, as well as astronomical and meteorological observations.
7. The station is equipped with huge solar panels, the size of which covers the territory of the US football field, including the end zone, and weighs 827,794 pounds (275,481 kg). The complex has a habitable room (like a five bedroom house) equipped with two bathrooms and a gym.
8. 3 million lines of software code on Earth support 1.8 million lines of flight code.
9. A 55-foot robotic arm is capable of lifting 220,000 feet of weight. For comparison, this is how much an orbital shuttle weighs.
10. Acres of solar panels provide 75-90 kilowatts of power for the ISS.
One of the greatest assets of mankind is the International Space Station, or ISS. Several states united for its creation and operation in orbit: Russia, some European countries, Canada, Japan and the USA. This apparatus testifies that much can be achieved if countries constantly cooperate. All the people of the planet know about this station, and many are wondering at what altitude the ISS flies and in what orbit. How many astronauts have been there? Is it true that tourists are allowed there? And this is not all that is interesting to mankind.
Station structure
The ISS consists of fourteen modules, which contain laboratories, warehouses, rest rooms, bedrooms, utility rooms. The station even has a gym with exercise equipment. The whole complex is solar powered. They are huge, the size of a stadium.
Facts about the ISS
During its work, the station caused a lot of admiration. This apparatus is greatest achievement human minds. By its design, purpose and features, it can be called perfection. Of course, maybe in 100 years on Earth they will begin to build spaceships another plan, but so far, today, this apparatus is the property of mankind. This is evidenced by the following facts about the ISS:
- During its existence, about two hundred astronauts have visited the ISS. There were also tourists who simply flew in to look at the Universe from an orbital height.
- The station is visible from Earth with the naked eye. This design is the largest among artificial satellites, and it can be easily seen from the surface of the planet without any magnifying device. There are maps on which you can see at what time and when the device flies over the cities. They make it easy to find information about your locality: View the flight schedule over the region.
- To assemble the station and maintain it in working condition, the astronauts went out more than 150 times in outer space having spent about a thousand hours there.
- The apparatus is operated by six astronauts. The life support system ensures the continuous presence of people at the station from the moment of its first launch.
- The International Space Station is a unique place where a wide variety of laboratory experiments are carried out. Scientists make unique discoveries in the field of medicine, biology, chemistry and physics, physiology and meteorological observations, as well as in other areas of science.
- The device uses giant solar panels, the size of which reaches the area of the football field with its end zones. Their weight is almost three hundred thousand kilograms.
- Batteries are capable of fully ensuring the operation of the station. Their work is closely monitored.
- The station has a mini-house equipped with two bathrooms and a gym.
- The flight is monitored from Earth. Programs consisting of millions of lines of code have been developed for control.
astronauts
Since December 2017, the ISS crew consists of the following astronomers and astronauts:
- Anton Shkaplerov - ISS-55 commander. He visited the station twice - in 2011-2012 and in 2014-2015. For 2 flights, he lived at the station for 364 days.
- Skeet Tingle - Flight engineer, NASA astronaut. This astronaut has no space flight experience.
- Norishige Kanai is a Japanese astronaut and flight engineer.
- Alexander Misurkin. Its first flight was made in 2013 with a duration of 166 days.
- Makr Vande Hay has no flying experience.
- Joseph Akaba. The first flight was made in 2009 as part of Discovery, and the second flight was carried out in 2012.
earth from space
From outer space, unique views open up to Earth. This is evidenced by photographs, videos of astronauts and cosmonauts. You can see the work of the station, space landscapes if you watch online broadcasts from the ISS station. However, some cameras are turned off due to technical work.
The constant fall of the ISS actually explains why the crew on board is in zero gravity, despite the fact that gravity is present inside the station. Since the falling speed of the ISS is compensated, the astronauts, while inside the station, actually do not move anywhere. They just float. Nevertheless, the ISS from time to time still decreases, approaching the Earth. To compensate for this, the station's control center adjusts its orbit by briefly starting the engines and bringing it to its previous height.
On the ISS, the Sun rises every 90 minutes.
Sunrise on the ISS.
The International Space Station makes one complete revolution around the Earth every 90 minutes. Thanks to this, her crew observes the sunrise every 90 minutes. Every day, people on board the ISS see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets. Astronauts who spend 342 days at the station manage to see 5472 sunrises and 5472 sunsets. During the same time, a person on Earth will see only 342 sunrises and 342 sunsets.
It should be understood that the ISS crew does not need a daily change of clothes, as we do on Earth. Except for exercise (which we'll talk about below), astronauts on the ISS don't have to work as hard in microgravity. Body temperature on the ISS is also monitored. All of this allows people to wear the same clothes for up to four days before they decide to change.
Russia occasionally launches unmanned spacecraft to deliver new supplies to the ISS. These ships can only fly in one direction and cannot return to Earth (at least in one piece). As soon as they dock with the ISS, the station crew unloads the delivered supplies and then fills the empty spacecraft various garbage, waste and dirty clothes. Then the device undocks and falls to Earth. The ship itself and everything on board burns in the sky over the Pacific Ocean.
The ISS crew is doing a lot
Orbit training.
The crew of the International Space Station is constantly losing bone and muscle mass. , they lose about two percent of stocks minerals in the bones of the limbs. It doesn't sound like much, but the number is growing fast. A typical mission to the ISS can take up to 6 months. As a result, some crew members may lose up to 1/4 of their bone mass in some parts of their skeleton.
Space agencies are trying to find a way to reduce these losses by forcing the crew to do two hours of daily exercise. Despite this, astronauts still lose muscle and bone mass. Since virtually every astronaut who is regularly sent to the ISS trains, the space agencies do not have control groups with which to determine the effectiveness of such training.
The simulators on the orbital station are also different from those we are used to using on Earth. The difference in gravity dictates the need to use only special simulators for physical exercises.
The use of the toilet depends on the nationality of the crew
A toilet in orbit is no easy task.
In the early days of the International Space Station, astronauts and cosmonauts used and shared the same equipment, apparatus, food, and even toilets. Everything began to change around 2003, after Russia began demanding payment from other countries for their astronauts to use their equipment. In turn, other countries began to demand payment from Russia for the fact that its astronauts use their equipment.
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The situation escalated in 2005, when Russia began to take money from NASA for the delivery of American astronauts to the ISS. The United States, in return, banned Russian astronauts from using American equipment, apparatus, and toilets.
Russia may close the ISS program
Russia does not have the ability to directly prohibit the US or any other country that participated in the creation of the ISS, the use of the station. However, it can block access to the station indirectly. As mentioned above, America needs Russia in order to deliver its astronauts to the ISS. In 2014, Dmitry Rogozin hinted that, starting in 2020, Russia plans to spend money and resources allocated to the space program on other projects. The United States, in turn, wants to continue on the ISS until at least 2024.
If Russia reduces or even stops the use of the ISS by 2020, then this will be a serious problem for American astronauts, as they will be limited or even denied access to the ISS. Rogozin added that Russia would be able to fly to the ISS even without the United States, while the United States, in turn, does not have such a luxury.
NASA is actively working with commercial space companies to transport and return US astronauts from the ISS. At the same time, NASA can always use the trampolines that Rogozin mentioned earlier.
There are weapons on board the ISS
There are weapons behind these walls.
Usually there are one or two guns on board the International Space Station. They belong to the astronauts, but are stored in a "survival kit" that everyone on the station has access to. Each pistol has three barrels and , rifle rounds, and shotgun rounds. They are also equipped with folding elements that can be used as a shovel or knife.
It is not clear why astronauts keep such multifunctional pistols on board the ISS. Isn't it really to fight off aliens? However, it is known for certain that in 1965 some astronauts had to deal with aggressive wild bears who decided to taste people who returned from space to Earth. It is possible that the station has weapons just for such cases.
Chinese taikunauts denied access to the ISS
There are no Chinese on the ISS
Chinese taikunauts are banned from visiting the International Space Station due to sanctions imposed on China by the United States. In 2011, the US Congress banned any cooperation on space programs between the US and China.
The ban was prompted by fears that the Chinese space program is behind the scenes for militaristic purposes. The United States, in turn, does not want to help the Chinese military and engineers in any way, so the ISS is banned for China.
According to Time, this is a very unreasonable solution to the issue. The US government needs to understand that a ban on China's use of the ISS, as well as a ban on any cooperation between the US and China on the development of space programs, will not stop the latter from developing its own space program. China has already sent its tycoonauts into space, as well as robots to the moon. In addition, the Celestial Empire plans to build a new space station, as well as send its rover to Mars.
Or why satellites don't fall? A satellite's orbit is a delicate balance between inertia and gravity. The force of gravity continuously pulls the satellite towards the Earth, while the inertia of the satellite tends to keep its motion in a straight line. If there were no gravity, the satellite's inertia would send it straight out of Earth's orbit into outer space. However, at every point in the orbit, gravity keeps the satellite tethered.
To achieve a balance between inertia and gravity, the satellite must have a strictly defined speed. If it flies too fast, the inertia overcomes gravity and the satellite leaves orbit. (The calculation of the so-called second space velocity, which allows the satellite to leave Earth orbit, plays an important role in launching interplanetary space stations.) If the satellite moves too slowly, gravity will win the fight against inertia and the satellite will fall to Earth. This is exactly what happened in 1979, when the American space station Skylab began to descend as a result of the growing resistance of the upper layers. earth's atmosphere. Having fallen into the iron tongs of gravity, the station soon fell to Earth.
Speed and distance
Since the Earth's gravity weakens with distance, the speed required to keep a satellite in orbit changes with altitude. Engineers can calculate how fast and how high a satellite needs to orbit. For example, a geostationary satellite, always located above the same point on the earth's surface, must make one revolution in 24 hours (which corresponds to the time of one revolution of the Earth around its axis) at an altitude of 357 kilometers.
Gravity and inertia
Balancing a satellite between gravity and inertia can be simulated by rotating a load on a rope tied to it. The inertia of the load tends to move it away from the center of rotation, while the tension of the rope, acting as gravity, keeps the load in a circular orbit. If the rope is cut, the load will fly away along a straight trajectory perpendicular to the radius of its orbit.
The ISS is the successor to the MIR station, the largest and most expensive object in the history of mankind.
What is the size of the orbital station? How much does it cost? How do astronauts live and work on it?
We will talk about this in this article.
What is the ISS and who owns it
The International Space Station (MKS) is an orbital station used as a multipurpose space complex.
This is a scientific project in which 14 countries take part:
- Russian Federation;
- USA;
- France;
- Germany;
- Belgium;
- Japan;
- Canada;
- Sweden;
- Spain;
- Netherlands;
- Switzerland;
- Denmark;
- Norway;
- Italy.
In 1998, the creation of the ISS began. Then the first module of the Russian Proton-K rocket was launched. Subsequently, other participating countries began to deliver other modules to the station.
Note: in English, the ISS is written as ISS (decoding: International Space Station).
There are people who are convinced that the ISS does not exist, and that's it. space flights taken on earth. However, the reality of the manned station was proven, and the theory of deception was completely refuted by scientists.
The structure and dimensions of the international space station
The ISS is a huge laboratory designed to study our planet. At the same time, the station is home to the astronauts working in it.
The station is 109 meters long, 73.15 meters wide and 27.4 meters high. The total weight of the ISS is 417,289 kg.
How much does an orbital station cost
The cost of the object is estimated at 150 billion dollars. This is by far the most expensive development in human history.
Orbit height and flight speed of the ISS
The average altitude at which the station is located is 384.7 km.
The speed is 27,700 km/h. The station performs a complete revolution around the Earth in 92 minutes.
Time at the station and crew working hours
The station operates according to London time, the working day for the astronauts begins at 6 am. At this time, each crew establishes contact with their country.
Crew reports can be listened to online. The working day ends at 19 pm London time .
Flight path
The station moves around the planet along a certain trajectory. There is a special map that shows which part of the way the ship passes in this moment time. This map also shows different parameters - time, speed, altitude, latitude and longitude.
Why doesn't the ISS fall to Earth? In fact, the object falls to the Earth, but misses, as it constantly moves at a certain speed. It is required to regularly raise the trajectory. As soon as the station loses some of its speed, it gets closer and closer to the Earth.
What is the temperature outside the ISS
The temperature is constantly changing and directly depends on the light and shade environment. In the shade, it stays at about -150 degrees Celsius.
If the station is located under the influence of direct sunlight, then the temperature overboard is +150 degrees Celsius.
Temperature inside the station
Despite fluctuations overboard, the average temperature inside the ship is 23 - 27 degrees Celsius and completely suitable for human habitation.
Astronauts sleep, eat, play sports, work and rest at the end of the working day - the conditions are close to the most comfortable for being on the ISS.
What do astronauts on the ISS breathe?
The primary task in creating the ship was to provide the astronauts with the conditions necessary to maintain full breathing. Oxygen is obtained from water.
A special system called "Air" takes carbon dioxide and throws it overboard. Oxygen is replenished by electrolysis of water. The station also has oxygen tanks.
How long is the flight from the spaceport to the ISS
In terms of flight time, it takes a little more than 2 days. There is also a short 6-hour scheme (but it is not suitable for cargo ships).
The distance from Earth to the ISS is between 413 and 429 kilometers.
Life on the ISS - what astronauts do
Each crew conducts scientific experiments commissioned by the research institutes of their country.
There are several types of such studies:
- educational;
- technical;
- environmental;
- biotechnology;
- biomedical;
- study of living and working conditions in orbit;
- exploration of space and planet Earth;
- physical and chemical processes in space;
- study solar system and others.
Who is on the ISS now
IN currently in orbit continue to keep watch composition: Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev, Serena Auñón-Chancellor from the USA and Alexander Gerst from Germany.
The next launch was scheduled from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 11, but due to an accident, the flight did not take place. At the moment, it is not yet known which of the astronauts will fly to the ISS and when.
How to get in touch with the ISS
In fact, anyone has a chance to contact the international space station. This will require special equipment:
- transceiver;
- antenna (for the frequency range of 145 MHz);
- rotary device;
- a computer that will calculate the orbit of the ISS.
Today, every astronaut has high-speed Internet. Most specialists contact friends and family via Skype, maintain personal pages on Instagram and Twitter, Facebook, where they post amazing beautiful pictures our green planet.
How many times does the ISS circle the Earth in a day
The speed of rotation of the ship around our planet - 16 times a day. This means that in one day the astronauts can meet the sunrise 16 times and watch the sunset 16 times.
The rotation speed of the ISS is 27,700 km/h. This speed does not allow the station to fall to Earth.
Where is the ISS at the moment and how to see it from Earth
Many are interested in the question: is it possible to see the ship with the naked eye? Thanks to its constant orbit and large size, anyone can see the ISS.
You can see the ship in the sky both day and night, but it is recommended to do it at night.
In order to find out the time of flight over your city, you need to subscribe to the NASA newsletter. You can monitor the movement of the station in real time thanks to the special Twisst service.
Conclusion
If you see a bright object in the sky, it is not always a meteorite, comet or star. Knowing how to distinguish the ISS with the naked eye, you definitely can't go wrong with a celestial body.
You can learn more about the ISS news, see the movement of the object on the official website: http://mks-online.ru.
