The 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions about the International Space Station (2024)

FAQs

The 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions about the International Space Station? ›

The space station has an internal pressurized volume equal that of a Boeing 747. More than 50 computers control the systems on the space station. More than 3 million lines of software code on the ground support more than 1.5 million lines of flight software code.

The space station has an internal pressurized volume equal that of a Boeing 747. More than 50 computers control the systems on the space station. More than 3 million lines of software code on the ground support more than 1.5 million lines of flight software code.

With each orbit taking 90-93 minutes, there are approximately 16 orbits per day (24 hours). The exact number of orbits per day is usually less than 16 (generally 15.5 to 15.9 orbits/day) depending on the altitude of the ISS.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

NASA currently spends about $3.1 billion a year on the space station program, with more than $1.3 billion going to operations of the station and research performed there, and nearly $1.8 billion on crew and cargo transportation.

The benefits derived from an orbiting laboratory are definitely not limited to space exploration. Examples range from the tangible, such as air purification and water filtration products, to the potential, such as cleaner combustion engines or medical scans that expose patients to lower levels of radiation.

How far do you think light travels in a minute? To figure this out, multiply the distance that light travels in a second by 60 because there are 60 seconds in a minute. So light can travel 18,000,000 kilometers in one minute!

How long can the ISS last? ›

Last year, NASA announced that the station's operations would end in 2030, after which it will fall into the Pacific Ocean. Another factor that could limit the lifespan of the ISS is tensions between Russia and the other entities operating the station—which include the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada.

The absolute record for a single spaceflight is 437 days 17 hours 58 minutes, set by Valeriy Poliyakov (RUS) between 8 January 1994 and 22 March 1995.

Does every black hole contain a singularity? Does sound travel faster in space? Does the influence of gravity extend out forever? Galaxies look stationary, so why do scientists say that they rotate?

What is the most asked question in the world? It might be quite surprising to know that the most asked question in the world is “what is my ip”. There are a little over 3 million people who ask this question every month on Google and that's just one variation of the question.

The biggest question in life for most of us is “does God exist?” While there are many other spiritual questions, all are predicated on this one. Knowing there is a creative force behind this universe puts every other spiritual question in context.

The biggest single entity that scientists have identified in the universe is a supercluster of galaxies called the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall. It's so wide that light takes about 10 billion years to move across the entire structure.

So the furthest out we can see is about 46.5 billion light years away, which is crazy, but it also means you can look back into the past and try to figure out how the universe formed, which again, is what cosmologists do.

As an ice giant, Uranus doesn't have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling fluids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Uranus, it wouldn't be able to fly through its atmosphere unscathed either.

Astronomers have determined that our universe is 13.7 billion years old.

Even when satellites are thousands of miles away, Earth's gravity still tugs on them. Gravity—combined with the satellite's momentum from its launch into space—cause the satellite to go into orbit above Earth, instead of falling back down to the ground.

How many can the ISS hold? ›

The ISS is designed to support a crew of six people at one time.

The International Space Station measures 357 feet end-to-end. That's almost equivalent to the length of a football field including the end zones (360 feet). More Space Station facts and figures.

In space, no one can hear you scream. This is because there is no air in space – it is a vacuum. Sound waves cannot travel through a vacuum. 'Outer space' begins about 100 km above the Earth, where the shell of air around our planet disappears.

The International Space Station legal framework recognises fundamental liability rules concerning space activities, set forth in international space law treaties, such as the Liability Convention (1972), and it goes even further.

This includes NASA's budget of $58.7 billion ($89.73 billion in 2021 dollars) for the station from 1985 to 2015, Russia's $12 billion, Europe's $5 billion, Japan's $5 billion, Canada's $2 billion, and the cost of 36 shuttle flights to build the station, estimated at $1.4 billion each, or $50.4 billion in total.

Average NASA Astronaut Salaries

Pay grades for civilian astronauts are GS-11 through GS-14 with GS-11 starting at $64,724 per year and GS-14 earning up to $141,715 annually. However, the GS rates often have specific local rates that may differ from this.

The pay grades for civilian astronaut candidates are set by federal government pay scales and vary based on academic achievements and experience. According to NASA , civilian astronaut salaries range from $104,898 to $161,141 per year. Here are a few of the benefits offered to civilian astronauts: Health care.

Sending water into space is incredibly expensive with Space X charging $2,500 for every pound (0.45 Kg) of cargo, on top of a compulsory $1.1 million for 440 pounds (200 Kg). As a result, astronauts on the ISS receive the occasional water care package of roughly 40 litres.

4.76 miles/s

International Space Station / Speed on orbit

What is it like living on the ISS? ›

Astronauts usually sleep by restraining their bodies in a small sleeping compartment or sleeping bag. In space, there's almost no gravity, so there's no distinction between up and down like on earth. Any surface can be a floor, wall, or ceiling, and therefore astronauts can sleep anywhere.

NASA

European Space Agency

State Space Corporation ROSCOSM...

Japan Aerospace Exploration...

Boeing Co

Canadian Space Agency

The time dilation on that planet—one hour equals 7 Earth years—seems extreme. To get that, you'd apparently need to be at the event horizon of a black hole. Yes. You can calculate where you must be to have that level of time dilation, and it's extreme.

There's a limit to how much of the universe we can see. The observable universe is finite in that it hasn't existed forever. It extends 46 billion light years in every direction from us. (While our universe is 13.8 billion years old, the observable universe reaches further since the universe is expanding).

For most space objects, we use light-years to describe their distance. A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles (9 trillion km). That is a 6 with 12 zeros behind it!

Far outside our solar system and out past the distant reaches of our galaxy—in the vast nothingness of space—the distance between gas and dust particles grows, limiting their ability to transfer heat. Temperatures in these vacuous regions can plummet to about -455 degrees Fahrenheit (2.7 kelvin). Are you shivering yet?

Nasa also wants to build a new space station near the moon, known as the Lunar Gateway, with the help of international partners. Construction could begin later this decade.

There is a de-orbit burn of about 10 minutes to return to Earth using forward bulkhead thrusters which then shut down. Astronauts close and lock the nose cone in prep for re-entry. Atmospheric re-entry begins, including a brief loss of communications (about 7 mins).

On March 10, 2001, Expedition 2 astronauts James S. Voss and Susan J. Helms conducted a spacewalk during STS-102 that at 8 hours and 56 minutes still stands as the longest EVA in history.

As of June 2, 2023 there are 10 people currently living and working in space.

How much slower do you age on the ISS? ›

The difference isn't noticeable though — after spending six months on the ISS, astronauts have aged about 0.005 seconds less than the rest of us.

The benefits derived from an orbiting laboratory are definitely not limited to space exploration. Examples range from the tangible, such as air purification and water filtration products, to the potential, such as cleaner combustion engines or medical scans that expose patients to lower levels of radiation.

The mission of the International Space Station is to enable long-term exploration of space and provide benefits to people on Earth.

The components of the ISS include shapes like canisters, spheres, triangles, beams, and wide, flat panels. The modules are shaped like canisters and spheres. These are areas where the astronauts live and work. On Earth, car- bonated drinks come packaged in small canisters to hold the pressurized liquids efficiently.

Since the earliest days of operation, the ISS has been used to monitor global climate, ecological, and environmental change and natural disasters through a unique complement of crew-operated and automated Earth observation platforms.

If a fire were to occur on the ISS, the astronauts would become firemen and follow a three-step response system. First, they would turn off the ventilation system to slow the spread of fire. Next they would shut off power to the effected unit. Finally astronauts would use fire extinguishers to put out the flames.

Whatever parts of the ISS survive crashing into the ocean will sink to the bottom and join the other 263 pieces of space debris that have crashed into that region in the Pacific Ocean since 1971. NASA has no plans to retrieve the remains of the ISS.

Time can appear to move faster or slower to us relative to others in a different part of space-time. That means astronauts on the International Space Station get to age just a tiny bit slower than people on Earth.

An orbiting spacecraft moves at the right speed so the curve of its fall matches the curve of Earth. Because of this, the spacecraft keeps falling toward the ground but never hits it.

As of September 12, 2021, 244 individuals have made 403 spaceflights to the ISS, including the seven people currently at the ISS (Expedition 65).

Who controls the ISS? ›

The ISS is not owned by one single nation and is a "co-operative programme" between Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada and Japan, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

A space station needs air, water, food and power. A toilet also comes in handy. 2. What do astronauts bring into space to breathe?

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Last year, NASA announced that the station's operations would end in 2030, after which it will fall into the Pacific Ocean. Another factor that could limit the lifespan of the ISS is tensions between Russia and the other entities operating the station—which include the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada.

The ISS moves in a circle around Earth at just the right speed. The centrifugal force pushing it away is exactly the same as the force of gravity pulling it in. This balance is called a stable orbit. And unless something happens to change it, it will continue.

Q10: How does the ISS protect itself against space debris? The International Space Station (ISS) has debris shields deployed around the crew modules. These shields are composed of two metal sheets, separated by about 10 cm.