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Then, consider the types of things you'd need and want to do. What would you need to survive in space? Specifically, how much room would you need to live? Think about the things you'd need to survive and be happy. Wasn't today's Wonder of the Day out of this world? Be sure to explore the following activities with a friend or family member: Have you ever spotted the ISS in the night sky? Would you like to live aboard this space station one day? Anything is possible! As astronauts add to the ISS, it could grow to hold even more experts from all over the world. In fact, there are current plans to add even more modules in the coming years. Space agencies hope to continue to use the ISS for many years to come. Since that time, more than 200 astronauts from 15 different countries have visited the ISS. The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000. Astronauts connected all the pieces over the course of several missions. Over time, other modules were launched via rockets and the United States space shuttle program. The first piece, Russia’s Zarya module, was launched into space in 1998. Five different space agencies representing 15 different countries worked on the project. That’s why the ISS was built slowly, piece-by-piece. So how did such a humongous man-made object get into space? It would be impossible to launch such a huge object with modern technology. Inside, there are two bathrooms, a gymnasium, and the living space of about a six-bedroom house. In total, the ISS is a little bigger than an American football field. It also has large exterior trusses for support, as well as more than an acre of solar panels that provide power. How big? The ISS consists of modules and connecting nodes that house living quarters and laboratories. You just need to know when and where to look.
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That’s a rate of about five miles per second! Each day, the ISS travels a distance nearly equal to traveling from Earth to the Moon and back.ĭespite its speed, the ISS is visible from Earth with the naked eye. How can the ISS orbit Earth so quickly? Orbiting at an average altitude of 248 miles above Earth, the ISS travels approximately 17,500 miles per hour. That means astronauts enjoy a sunrise or sunset about every 92 minutes. The ISS completes 15.5 orbits around Earth each day. These cover a wide range of disciplines, from astronomy and biology to geology and physics. On the ISS, a rotating crew of international astronauts conducts science experiments. It’s also the largest structure ever built in space by humans. At costs approaching $150 billion, the ISS is arguably the most expensive thing ever built.
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It serves as a microgravity laboratory in space. Visible from Earth with the naked eye, the International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable satellite. What could it be? It’s the International Space Station, of course! It’s way too high to be an airplane, and it’s too steady to be a shooting star. What’s that up there? Right there! Way up high in the sky, there’s a bright dot moving slowly across the black canvas of the heavens.
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