The life of astronauts on the ISS is vastly different from life on Earth due to the absence of gravity and natural resources.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a collaborative international project, constructed through the cooperation of five space agencies including NASA (USA), RKA (Russia), CSA (Canada), ESA (Europe), and JAXA (Japan). The construction of the ISS began in 1998, and it operates in low Earth orbit.
The ISS orbits at an altitude of 354 km above sea level and travels at a speed of 27,358 km/h.
The ISS began to take shape when two modules of the space station were assembled together in space. Interestingly, the two modules of the ISS were developed by two different countries, which are also the two nations with the most advanced space programs in the world: Russia and the USA.
The module developed by the USA is called Unity, while the module built by Russia is named Zarya. These two modules were joined together in Earth’s orbit and continue to exist to this day.
Since the year 2000, when the first astronauts set foot on the International Space Station, there has not been a moment in the past 21 years when the ISS has been devoid of human presence. To date, more than 230 people, comprising astronauts and scientists of various nationalities, have visited the ISS. Notably, as of now, no Chinese astronauts have visited the ISS.
The ISS can accommodate a maximum of nine scientists; however, typically only three astronauts are present on this space station at any given time. The teams of three astronauts rotate their activities after conducting research on the ISS. Currently, there are seven scientists working on the ISS.
Inside the ISS, there are essential facilities for the astronauts’ daily life, including two bathrooms, a gym, sleeping quarters, and over 50 computers to operate this space station.
The life of astronauts on the ISS is also very different from life on Earth due to the lack of gravity and natural resources. Food, drinking water, and other essentials are supplied to astronauts from Earth via cargo spacecraft, while water is typically recycled for drinking or bathing. Astronauts must also adapt to using water in a way that differs from Earth, as it exists as droplets or small spheres in the absence of gravity.
The International Space Station orbits at an altitude of 354 km above sea level and travels at a speed of 27,358 km/h (17,000 miles per hour), allowing it to complete 16 orbits around the Earth each day.
Astronauts on the International Space Station.
Interestingly, people on Earth can see the ISS with the naked eye. The sign to identify the ISS in the sky, as opposed to a commercial airplane, is that it moves faster than a commercial plane but slower than a shooting star, and it continuously reflects sunlight. Of course, you need to check the ISS’s schedule to know when the space station will pass over your area.
Below are some interesting facts about the International Space Station:
Computers on the space station can still get viruses just like on Earth
Even the space station is not immune to technological vulnerabilities – it can even be infected by computer viruses. In 2008, a malware incident attacked the ISS when astronauts inadvertently spread the virus throughout the station by using an infected USB drive. Even the ground control faced issues. However, NASA reported that while viruses can appear on the station, they are not very common.
The most expensive object ever created by humans
Overall, there are many projects that have cost more money (such as the F-35 aircraft worth trillions), but the ISS is the single most expensive object ever constructed, costing approximately $150 billion (equivalent to about 3.0562 trillion VND).
ISS is a gigantic laboratory in space
Every day, numerous research activities take place here. From fire suppression, mouse embryo cultivation, zucchini planting, detailed logging, to using high-tech shoes, and even raising a colony of ants. The ISS is considered the largest laboratory in space to date. It allows for numerous experiments under microgravity conditions, which are impossible to conduct on Earth.
Numerous research activities take place here daily.
It is possible to travel to the Moon in a day
The ISS itself does not fly; it is a space station and does not have any additional functions. However, if it could, its orbital speed around Earth is about 4.7 seconds enough to reach the Moon (which orbits approximately 250,000 miles from Earth) and return in 24 hours.
The electrical cabling system is eight miles long
All the electrical cables in the ISS system total eight miles in length, according to NASA – enough to stretch from Newark to Brooklyn.
South Korea has spent a lot of money developing kimchi suitable for the ISS
In 2008, Yi So-Seon became the first astronaut from South Korea. The female astronaut was eager to bring a taste of home to the space station. Thus, South Korea invested a significant amount of time and money – measured in years and millions of dollars – to develop this fermented dish so that astronauts could bring it to the space station.
