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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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As of yesterday (November 2) the International Space Station has been continuously inhabited for fifteen years. On November 2, 2000 the first crew docked. It's been upgraded quite a lot since then. Here is an infographic with some of the statistics.
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Joined: May 2010
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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They made a film about the early days of the International Space Station, including its construction and the first crews. I saw it in IMAX - in fact, about a dozen times altogether since I was taking school groups for many years. It's available on DVD and Blu Ray, I think. More about Space Station 3D here.
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Joined: May 2010
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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It can look like fun being on the space station when there are fantastic views of Earth and you can float around. But it's also a seriously hostile environment and you're a long way from help if the people there can't manage. For example, what if a solar panel is damaged? US astronaut Scott Parazynski needed to repair one in 2007. Both his suit and tools were insulated, but he had to do the work without touching the solar panel to ensure that he didn't get electrocuted or have the oxygen in his suit ignited. He was farther from the airlock than anyone had been before and the job took four hours. Wow! When they talk about "the right stuff" they're really serious. Here is Parazynski in a more relaxed moment. Â
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BellaOnline Editor Stone Age Human
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BellaOnline Editor Stone Age Human
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Joined: May 2010
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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I agree, Susan, it can really be scary out there. Here's an infographic guide to the International Space Station, showing the modules and other bits. It comes from National Geographic.
Last edited by Mona - Astronomy; 11/07/15 03:22 PM.
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Joined: May 2010
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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Pedro Duque, Spanish astronaut, made a short visit to the ISS and commented on microgravity: In the Station one doesn’t walk nor run; one floats from one side to the other. The sensation is of course very interesting. It’s true that it’s possible to cross the corridor very quickly if in a hurry, only by pushing at one side and braking at the other. However, experience shows that it is incredibly difficult to do this properly without touching the walls, and ah!, as soon as one touches a wall at high speed and without control, one is sent rotating and kicking everything.
The people who have already spent six month in the Station are able cross the 50 metres in little more than say, fifteen seconds. My record after three days here (although I have experience from another flight) is 25 seconds and a bump on the head.
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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Seventeen years ago today, the first component of the International Space Station was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the Russian-built control module named Zarya (a Russian word meaning "daybreak"), which was to provide the initial propulsion and power for the future Space Station.
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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Earth and Milky Way from SpaceThis is Astronomy Picture of the Day's contribution to celebrating 15 years of occupying the ISS. It shows our planet and our galaxy together. The Milky Way stretches below the curve of Earth's limb in the scene that also records a faint red, extended airglow. The Galaxy's central bulge appears with starfields cut by dark rifts of obscuring interstellar dust. The picture was taken by Astronaut Scott Kelly on August 9, 2015, the 135th day of his one-year mission in space. Image Credit: NASA, Scott Kelly
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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Fifteen years on the International Space Station. Here is an animation showing how the ISS was assembled over the years, starting with Zarya in 1998 and going through 2011. It was pretty poky when the first crew went on board - but quite spacious (!) now. Getting there and back in the days the Space Shuttle was luxury travel compared to the Soyuz. However two crews didn't make into space and back on the shuttle, and the Soyuz has been very reliable.
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Joined: May 2010
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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BellaOnline Editor Renaissance Human
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Three new Expedition 46-47 crew members flew up to the International Space Station yesterday (December 15). Here is the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft approaching the station. Credit: NASA TV
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