Why is it in the News?

The International Space Station (ISS) celebrated its 25th anniversary on November 20, 2023. It was launched in 1998, the first module marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. With over 140,000 Earth orbits and a quarter-century milestone, the ISS remains a symbol of peaceful collaboration for scientific endeavors.

What is the International Space Station (ISS)?

• The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station that was assembled in low earth orbit (LEO) by the United States and Russia, with assistance and components from a multinational consortium.
• It is a collaborative effort between multiple space agencies, including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Federal Space Agency of Russia (Roscosmos), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• The ISS has been inhabited continuously and serves as an important platform for research and exploration in space.
• The success of the ISS is largely due to the implementation of various space standards and agreements, which help to ensure that the station is designed, operated, and maintained safely and efficiently.
• ISS is the longest continuous human presence in space, amounting to around 25 years.
• However, it is not the first-ever manned space station as Salyut, Almaz, Mir, and Skylab preceded it in this regard.
• Moreover, ISS is divided into two zones, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the United States Orbital Segment (USOS).
• ROS is where Russia’s cosmonauts work, whereas USOS is where space crews from the US, Japan, Canada, and Europe collaborate.

When did the International Space Station launch?

• The first segment of the ISS — the Zarya Control Module — was Russian and launched on November 20, 1998.
• Zarya supplied fuel storage and battery power, and served as a docking zone for other space vehicles arriving at the ISS.
• One month later, on December 4, 1998, the US launched the Unity Node 1 module.
• Together, the two modules were the start of a functioning space laboratory.
• Over the course of 42 assembly flights, the ISS became what it is today.
• Among the first “live-in” astronauts were Bill Shepherd of NASA and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev.
• Since then, the ISS has been continuously inhabited.

Characteristics of ISS:

• Size and Composition: Weighing around 460 tons, the ISS boasts a habitable volume comparable to a Boeing 747 aircraft's interior.
• Comprising interconnected modules, laboratories, living quarters, and docking ports, forming a complex structure in space.
• Orbit and Circulation: Travels at a speed of 8 kilometers (5 miles) per second, completing an orbit around Earth every 90 minutes.
• Generates 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24-hour cycle, passing overhead multiple times daily.
• Mission Durations: Standard missions last approximately six months, though crew members may have shorter or longer stays.
• During their tenure, astronauts and cosmonauts conduct experiments, maintain systems, and perform essential tasks for the station's functioning.
• Presence of International Crew: The ISS is continuously occupied by a diverse crew hailing from various nations.
• Rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live and work on the station, contributing to scientific research and station upkeep.
• Scientific Endeavors: Provides a unique environment for scientific experiments in microgravity, spanning biology, physics, astronomy, and materials science.
• Serves as a testbed for technologies crucial for future deep-space exploration.
• Global Symbol of Unity: The ISS stands as a testament to international collaboration in space exploration, fostering unity among participating nations.
• It exemplifies the peaceful coexistence of astronauts from different backgrounds in the pursuit of shared scientific goals.

Why Is the Space Station Important?

• The significance of the Space Station lies in its role as a platform for diverse scientific research and experiments in the distinctive microgravity setting of space.
• Microgravity, also known as near-zero gravity or weightlessness, provides a unique environment for researchers worldwide to explore various fields, including biology, physics, astronomy, and Earth sciences.
• Through the ISS, valuable insights have been gained in areas such as human health in space, materials science, and climate change.
• The station serves as a continuous habitat for human presence in space, marking a sustained human presence since the arrival of the first crew.

What do astronauts do onboard the ISS?

• When ISS astronauts not conducting scientific experiments, they go on regular spacewalks to add new components to the station, such as robotic arms, or run maintenance.
• There have been times when astronauts have had to inspect or fix holes that were created by space debris.
• The astronauts are also on a strict health regimen. They have to mitigate the loss of muscle and bone mass, which is caused by microgravity in space.
• That includes working out on specially designed machines, including treadmills, for at least two hours a day.
• But the astronauts’ daily exercise is used to improve our scientific understanding of the effects of space on our bodies.

What scientific discoveries on the ISS have benefited life on Earth?

• Astronauts have conducted hundreds of scientific experiments on the ISS.
• Sometimes they experiment on themselves, monitoring their general health, nutrition, or the effects of solar radiation and sometimes they conduct experiments for scientists on Earth.
• These experiments have led to numerous scientific breakthroughs.
• From Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to cancer, asthma, and heart disease — it’s all been studied in space.
• Scientists say some medical experiments are best done in space because cells behave in microgravity more like they do inside the human body, but it’s difficult to recreate such conditions on Earth.
• There have been discoveries to benefit drug development, new water purification systems, methods to mitigate muscle and bone atrophy, and those that have led innovations in food production.

How long will the ISS be operational?

• Plans for the future operation of the ISS were thrown into uncertainty with the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
• Both the European Space Agency and national bodies withdrew from international collaborations with Russia, and Russia said it was leaving the ISS to build its own space station.
• Also, old and new spacefaring nations want to make an independent mark on space.
• They include Japan, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and others.
• The US and Europe have said they remain committed to the International Space Station through 2030.
• But plans are afoot for a post-ISS world, as well: NASA is almost entirely focused on its Artemis program and plans to populate the moon and ESA is working toward a new space station, which it is calling Starlab.