Five things to know about the International Space Station

Paris:

Russia is scrambling to bring home three astronauts – two Russians and an American – who are stuck on the International Space Station after a meteorite damaged the spacecraft that was due to return them to Earth .

Here are some key facts about the orbital laboratory set up to advance space exploration and prepare to send humans to Mars — where Russians and Americans worked together for a quarter of a century Is.

– The size of a football field –
The ISS is the largest man-made structure ever placed in orbit.

Launched in 1998 by the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and members of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is the size of a football field and weighs the same as a jam-packed Boeing 747.

Built at a total cost of about $100 billion, mostly paid for by the US, it orbits Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 400 kilometers (250 mi).

It has been permanently occupied since November 2000 by Russian and American-led crews who typically stay for about six months to conduct experiments in microgravity, which have practical applications on Earth and future Mars missions. Let’s help prepare for.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei holds the record for the longest straight stay on the ISS, which is 355 days.

– Model of US-Russia cooperation –
Five space agencies representing 15 countries operate the ISS.

NASA and the space agencies of Europe (ESA), Canada (CSA) and Japan (JAXA) run the US Orbital Segment, which is responsible for providing solar power. The Russian Orbital Segment, operated by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, is responsible for propulsion and maintaining the orbit.

The US and Russia each supply half of the food needed on the ISS, which is brought in by Russian and US supply ships, including craft from Twitter owner Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

The station has a full crew of seven but the number can go up to 13 during crew rotation.

Eight spacecraft can be connected to the ISS at a time, which can be reached from Earth in about four hours.

The Soyuz carries three and SpaceX’s Dragon 2 carries four.

Two spacecraft are always docked on the ISS for evacuation in case of emergency, but one of these was hit by the meteorite.

– 18 hour day –
Astronauts on the ISS are kept busy.

The day begins at 6 a.m. and lights out at 10:30 p.m., followed by eight to ten hours of scientific experiments, two hours of physical activity to avoid muscle loss in microgravity, and three hours of household chores. For a time of repair and rest.

There are about 200 experiments running at any one time.

The key, says French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, is to stay busy, because “if you have nothing to do, it’s like a prison with a great view and some fun things to do like swimming.”

– Fiery Waste Removal –
No one has their own room on the ISS short of a bed. Astronauts slip into sleeping bags standing upright.

There is very little water on the ISS: some of it is brought from Earth, the rest is extracted from the air and urine. Wastewater is treated and recycled for use in food.

The ISS has neither showers nor dishwashers: astronauts use wipes and air flushes to remove solid waste, which is stored in canisters and loaded onto supply ships, which re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. Burns upon entry.

– uncertain future –
The ISS was not built to last forever.

Both NASA and ESA want to continue operations until at least 2030. But the Russians said in July 2022 – in the midst of the war in Ukraine – that they wanted to withdraw after 2024 to set up their own station, without making it official.

After 2030, the ISS could be retired and fall into an uninhabited area of ​​the Pacific Ocean, according to NASA, which has announced plans to transition to commercial space stations.

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