The ISS
What do you already know about the ISS?
The ISS – The International Space Station is the largest satellite that orbits the Earth. At different times there have been other space stations up in orbit too, for example Mir, which was Russia’s space station, the US Skylab, which was American. Currently there is just the ISS and Tiangong, which is China’s space station.
The International Space Station was built jointly by a number of space agencies including, NASA (America), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). It is the most expensive thing ever to be built and over the years is estimated to have cost over 150 billion pounds!
The International Space Station is located about 250 miles above the Earth. It orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, travelling at extraordinary speeds of 17,500 miles per hour, covering about 5 miles a second. It can be seen in the sky from Earth and looks like a bright dot in the sky.
The first two modules of the ISS called Zarya and Unity, photographed in May 2000.
Close up view of the ISS during a spacewalk by two astronauts.
The completed International Space Station seen above the Earth.
View of Earth from inside the International Space Station.
The ISS is so big it was built up in space, with the different parts being taken up separately. Russia took the first part of it up into space in 1998. Then America took the next part up on the space shuttle Endeavour. It took a total of 136 missions up into space for the whole space station to be built and it was fully completed in 2011.
The main part of the ISS is made up of a central truss beam, a bit like a backbone, and 16 modules which are all joined up together. These contain science labs, places for the astronauts to eat and sleep, bathrooms and storage. These areas are pressurized, which means they contain oxygen for the astronauts to breathe without having to wear spacesuits the whole time. There are also airlocks so the astronauts can leave the pressurized modules and go out on spacewalks outside of the ISS!
It is totally powered by huge solar panels, getting all its power from the sun. It also has huge, robotic arms that are used to move parts, dock cargo, and help with spacewalks. There are also docking ports for visiting spacecraft to connect to.
Inside the ISS with two astronauts, including Christina Koch who spent 328 days on the ISS.
Inside the Harmony capsule.
The first Russian astronauts (or cosmonauts as Russia calls them) to travel up and live in the International Space Station went up in 2000. There have been different astronauts living there ever since and so far over 200 people have visited the space station, staying there for different lengths of time, with lots spending over a year up in space.
Astronauts aboard the ISS help conduct a variety of science experiments, make observations about the Earth and test how space affects their bodies and other living and non living things.
They also spend a lot of time is spent fixing, cleaning, maintaining the ISS, including outside which involve putting on spacesuits and going on a spacewalk outside the safety of the ISS. Astronauts call these an EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Astronauts in the ISS spend quite a long time up in space so they have to make sure they exercise for at least two hours a day to make sure their body is not badly affected by being up in space.
Reid Wiseman who spent 165 days on the ISS getting ready for a spacewalk.
Outside of the ISS on a spacewalk. The longest EVA outside the ISS was 8 hours and 56 minutes.
What we've learnt...
The International Space Station orbits Earth.
It started being built in 1998 and was finished in 2011. It was taken up to space in parts and constructed up in space.
The International Space Station was built by lots of space agencies from different countries working together.
There are always astronauts living on the International Space Station.
The International Space Station acts like a science lab up in space.
Test your knowledge...
The International Space Station Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If it’s the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Remember to read or listen to the questions carefully! If you are listening to the questions using Text To Speech make sure you pause it after it has read the questions and answers so you have a chance to think!
#1. Is the ISS the largest satellite up in space?
#2. When was the ISS finally completed?
#3. What does the International Space Station orbit?
#4. What year did the first two parts of the space station go up to space?
#5. Are there astronauts on the ISS all the time?
Results
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Question Time...
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