International Space Station
In the early 1980's, the International Space Station was only an idea on paper. Today, the Space Station is a result of sixteen international partners working together to create a world-class, state-of-the-art orbiting research facility.
The ISS provides scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs an opportunity to perform complex experiments over long periods of time in a space environment. But, it is much more; it is an international "city in space" - a place where we will learn how to live and work "off planet."
Some facts about the International Space Station
The Space Station is the largest manned object ever sent into space - larger than the new Airbus 380 recently put into service to carry over 500 passengers. It consists of 70 separate major components and hundreds of minor ones. All the parts will be put together in space for the first time.
This is a BIG construction job - 45 launches in total to assemble the parts and over 1700 hours of space walks for the astronauts and cosmonauts.
We can see it - and the people on board can see us! When completed, the ISS will be visible to more than 90 percent of the world's population and circles the Earth every 90 minutes.
Having trouble sleeping? Humans need less sleep in space because the body does little work in a microgravity environment. It takes little effort to raise an arm, hold your head up, or move a bulky object.
It's a team effort - many countries are involved - the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The construction involves more than 100,000 people, and hundreds of companies. Astronauts also work in teams on the various experiments aboard the ISS.
Keep working in Physical Education classes - Every astronaut must do at least two hours of strenuous exercise, every day. This is to counteract the tendency of the human body to lose muscle and bone mass rapidly in space.
It's not cheap! It is the most expensive object every built. The Chunnel between England and France cost about $22 billion. The United States' contribution ALONE is estimated at nearly $200 billion!
International Space Station Statistics
| Statistic | Updated | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | June 17, 2005 |
| Perigee | 347.9 km | June 17, 2005 |
| Apogee | 354.1 km | June 17, 2005 |
| Orbital period | 91.55 minutes | June 17, 2005 |
| Orbits per day | 15.73 | June 17, 2005 |
| Days occupied since Expedition 1 boarded on November 2 , 2000 | 1,688 | June 17, 2005 |
| Days in orbit since Zarya launch | 2,401 | June 17, 2005 |
| Revolutions since Zarya launch | 37,573 | June 17, 2005 |
| Distance traveled since launch | ~1,400,000,000 km | June 17, 2005 |
| Average speed | 7.69 km/s (27,685.7 km/h) | |
| Pressure | ~757 mmHg (100 kPa) | |
| Oxygen | ~162.4 mmHg (22 kPa) | |
| Carbon Dioxide | ~4.8 mmHg (640 Pa) | |
| Temperature | ~26.9°C |
Links
Some good links to provide more information about the ISS for STUDENTS (and many of them have teacher information as well) include:
Canadian Space Agency
- Project Overview
- International Space Station History
- KidStation
- Powering the International Space Station
NASA
- NASA Quest
- SpaceKids - Space Science for Kids.
- NASA Space Place - Check out our games, animations, projects, and fun facts about Earth, space and technology.
- Astro-Venture - Search for and design a habitable planet.
Tracking the International Space Station
Other International Space Station resources
- PBS Space Station See & Do - Interesting activities and facts about living in space and to answer questions about space suits, sanitation, recreation and sleeping, eating and microgravity.
- Wikipedia - Excellent links to a number of other sites as well as basic information about the International Space Station.
Tomatosphere is sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Heinz Canada, H.J. Heinz Company Foundation, Ontario Centres of Excellence, Stokes Seeds and the University of Guelph.
