The Space Station flies at an average altitude of miles kilometers above Earth. In one day, the station travels about the distance it would take to go from Earth to the moon and back. The space station can rival the brilliant planet Venus in brightness and appears as a bright moving light across 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.
There is typically an international crew of 7 people that live and work on the ISS. However, during the changeover of crew members this number can vary, for example in , 13 crew members visited the ISS. This is also the record for the most people in space at one time. However, on Mar. Once at the station, astronauts will typically spend a mission period of around 6 months conducting various science experiments and maintaining and repairing the ISS.
Outside of work, astronauts will spend at least 2 hours on exercise and personal care. The first astronaut to tweet from space was Mike Massimino, who did it from a space shuttle in May The ISS is a platform for long-term research for human health, which NASA bills as a key stepping stone to letting humans explore other solar system destinations such as the moon or Mars.
Human bodies change in microgravity , including alterations to muscles, bones, the cardiovascular system and the eyes; many scientific investigations are trying to characterize how severe the changes are and whether they can be reversed.
Astronauts also participate in testing out products — such as an espresso machine or 3D printers — or doing biological experiments, such as on rodents or plants , which the astronauts can grow and sometimes eat in space.
As the only microgravity laboratory in existence, the ISS has facilitated more than 3, researchers to conduct more than 2, experiments to date. In , NASA executives announced that the space station would open its airlocks to commercial businesses and private astronauts. This allows the private sector to test out new technologies and train astronauts under microgravity.
There are also plans for Houston-based company Axiom Space to build a new commercial module on the space station to spur the growth of an off-Earth economy.
Crews are not only responsible for science, but also for maintaining the station. Sometimes, this requires that they venture on spacewalks to perform repairs. From time to time, these repairs can be urgent — such as when a part of the ammonia system fails, which has happened a couple of times. Spacewalk safety procedures were changed after a potentially deadly incident when astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet filled with water while he was working outside the station.
NASA now responds quickly to "water incursion" incidents. It also has added pads to the spacesuits to soak up the liquid, and a tube to provide an alternate breathing location should the helmet fill with water.
NASA has produced several machines to reduce the need for space walks, including the humanoid Robonaut 2. The dexterous machine joined the ISS crew back in , however, after discovering a fault in the machine, Robonaut 2 was sent home to Earth in , for repairs.
The space station, including its large solar arrays, spans the area of a U. The complex now has more livable room than a conventional 6-bedroom house, and has 2 bathrooms, gym facilities and a degree bay window. Astronauts have also compared the space station's living space to the cabin of a Boeing jumbo jet. The International Space Station was taken into space piece-by-piece and gradually built in orbit using spacewalking astronauts and robotics. Most missions used NASA's space shuttle to carry up the heavier pieces, although some individual modules were launched on single-use rockets.
The launch of Spot the Station falls on the year anniversary of humans living and working continuously aboard the station. The Spot the Station tool also allows users to sign up to receive an email or text message notifying them the station will soon be visible in their selected area.
NASA officials said the space station is most visible in the sky at dawn and dusk. Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to clarify that the International Space Station appears as a bright light moving across the sky, not a streak; images that feature streaks are usually long exposures that show the station moving over time. Original article on Space. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Samantha Mathewson.
0コメント