7 interesting facts about the International Space Station

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Knowledge is power. And a life hacker needs knowledge doubly. In this series of articles, we collect fascinating and sometimes unexpected facts about the world around us. We hope that you will find them not only interesting, but also practically useful.

About 50 years ago, when the whole world was jubilant over the landing of a man on the moon, the future of astronautics seemed bright. Few doubted that the planned settlement of the Earth's satellite would begin very soon, followed by the spread of this process to the nearest planets. However, in reality, everything turned out to be not so simple. Although humanity has not been able to make a quick breakthrough in space, we have achieved something over the past decades. And to be convinced of this, it is enough to look at the international orbital station, which is circling over our heads.

The most expensive object in the history of mankind

In 2010, it was estimated that over $ 150 billion was spent on the construction and operation of the International Space Station. This is the most expensive project in the history of mankind. It is worth noting that financial costs are shared between several countries participating in the use of the ISS. These are Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Space

The ISS consists of 14 main modules: Russian Zarya, Zvezda, Pirs, Poisk, Rassvet; American Unity, Destiny, Quest, Tranquility, Domes, Leonardo, Harmony, European Columbus and Japanese Kibo. There are also three additional modules designed to transport cargo to orbit and back to Earth. They are manufactured by the Italian Space Agency and are named Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello. On the NASA website, they are named after the talented Italian masters of the Renaissance, however, the official emblem of the modules clearly indicates that they were referring to the famous turtles.

The largest space module belongs to Japan

Despite the passion for miniaturization, the Japanese laboratory module is the largest in the ISS. It consists of three compartments and is designed for various scientific experiments. As part of the Japanese research program in April 2009, the Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata conducted a series of experiments that were selected from among those proposed by ordinary citizens. He tried to "swim" in zero gravity using a variety of styles, including crawl and butterfly, juggling and soccer. In conclusion, the astronaut tried to push up from the floor and do some acrobatic stunts. In the video below, you can see a Japanese astronaut trying to fly an airplane carpet in zero gravity. By the way, the cost of this researcher's stay on the ISS is 5.5 million yen ($ 55,000) per hour.

Observation

The ISS is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. It is not at all difficult to observe from Earth with the naked eye in the form of a bright star, rapidly moving across the sky from west to east. The location and time of flight of the station can be obtained using the Heavens-Above website. First, you should go in and indicate your location, and then this one will display the space station's movement schedule for the coming days. In addition, you can use the IFTTT service: you will be notified about the appearance of the ISS over your head in any way convenient for you.

Station protection

A large amount of debris has accumulated in near space, which poses a real threat to the ISS. A collision with even a small object can damage the casing and even destroy the station. Therefore, from the Earth, constant remote monitoring of the movement of space debris is carried out. If an obstacle appears on the trajectory of the ISS, the station crew receives an emergency warning, which allows them to turn on the thrusters and avoid a collision. If the threatening object is discovered too late, then the astronauts should evacuate from the station. The ISS has been partially evacuated four times already.

Webcam

A webcam is installed on the ISS hull, which broadcasts a picture of the surrounding landscapes in real time. You can admire the view of the stars, the Earth and the orbital station by.

Curiosities on the ISS

Do not think that only the Japanese inhabitants of the ISS allow themselves funny eccentricities. For example, once a correspondence wedding took place at the station: cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was on Earth at that time. From a legal point of view, there were no complaints about the procedure, since according to the laws of the state of Texas, where the bride lives, it is allowed for one of the spouses to be absent from the wedding.

No less attention was attracted by the first space game of golf, during which a special ball made of scandium alloy, equipped with a coordinate tracking device, was sent into low-earth orbit with a well-aimed club blow. The event took place as part of a promotion for a Canadian sports equipment manufacturer.

What interesting facts do you know about the International Space Station?