Shubhanshu Shukla on ISS mission: Top 10 facts about International Space Station

1. 15-country collaboration on orbital laboratory: The International Space Station or ISS is a huge multi-nation spacecraft orbiting round the earth. A total of 15 nations work collaborate here to carry out scientific, educational, and technological experiments in the ISS national laboratory, benefitting the earth and aiding human’s ability to travel into deep space.

2. Largest human-made object: According to NASA, The ISS is the largest human-made object to orbit earth, with a pressurised volume of 900 metre cube (31,000 feet cube) approximately and a mass over 400,000 kg (900,000 lbs). The exact numbers tend to vary as logistics resupply vehicles keep on travelling to ISS on a frequent and regular basis. The ISS structure measures 109 m (358 ft) (across arrays) by 51 m (168 ft) (module length from the forward end of PMA2 to the aft end of the SM).

3. Energy generation: The ISS solar arrays cover an area of 2,247 metre square (24,187 ft square) and can generate 735,000 kW-hours of electrical power per year.

4. Computers and spaceships: More than 50 computers control the systems on the space station. A total of eight spaceships can be connected to the space station at once.

5. Occupied since 2000: With the Phase I of the ISS was launched in 1998, the space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000 when it had only three modules.

6. Total humans hosted: Since 2000, this ISS expanded to the size of a football field hosting over 260 individuals from 21 countries comprising over 60 Expeditions.

7. Accommodation larger than 3-bedroom house: The living and working space within the space station is larger than a six-bedroom house. It has six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window.

8. 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets from ISS: Placed 200 miles (320kms) above earth, ISS orbits the planet at a speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometres per hour). This means it completes one circle round the Earth in roughly 90 minutes. Hence people on ISS experience 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.

9. Astronauts’ engagements: Astronauts and cosmonauts regularly conduct spacewalks for space station construction, maintenance and upgrades. To fight the loss of muscle and bone mass of their bodies in microgravity, the astronauts work out at least two hours every day.

10. Microgravity experiments: Since 2000, the ISS has evolved from a mere outpost into a state-of-art microgravity laboratory. According to NASA’s website: “In its third decade of continuous human presence, the International Space Station has a far-reaching impact as a microgravity lab hosting technology, demonstrations, and scientific investigations from a range of fields. Results are compounding and new benefits are emerging.” Through Expedition 60, the microgravity laboratory has hosted nearly 3,000 research investigations from researchers in more than 108 countries. The outpost will continue to facilitate advanced research benefitting humans on and off the Earth through 2030, says NASA.

— inputs from NASA