Buzz
The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint space venture, operated by nations such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and several European countries under the European Space Agency (ESA). The concept for the station was proposed in 1984 when President Reagan instructed NASA to develop a space station within ten years. In 1998, Russia launched the first module of the ISS.
Since then, various nations, including Russia, have contributed their own modules, allowing the station to expand. Today, the International Space Station weighs 460 tons and is approximately the size of a football field. Here are ten fascinating facts that may surprise you.
10. It’s Actually in a State of Free Fall
Contrary to popular belief, there is gravity in space. The International Space Station orbits between 200 and 250 miles above Earth, where gravity is about 90% as strong as on the surface. This is enough to pull the ISS toward the planet. So why doesn't it fall?
The ISS is indeed falling. However, it doesn't crash into Earth because its falling speed is almost identical to its orbital speed. This balance allows it to continuously fall along Earth's curve, effectively orbiting the planet. A similar phenomenon occurs with the Moon, which is also falling around Earth.
This constant falling explains why astronauts aboard the ISS appear weightless, despite gravity's presence. As the station falls at the same rate it orbits Earth, astronauts aren't pulled toward any specific direction, allowing them to float freely.
9. The Sun Rises Every 90 Minutes
The International Space Station completes one orbit around Earth every 90 minutes. This means astronauts aboard the ISS witness a sunrise every 90 minutes, resulting in 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets each day. An astronaut spending 342 days in space will experience 5,472 sunrises and sunsets, while those on Earth will see just 342 of each.
Astronauts aboard the ISS don't experience dawn or dusk, but they can clearly observe the terminator—the line that divides the light and dark sides of Earth. People on Earth along this line are either experiencing dawn or dusk at that moment.
8. The First Malaysian Astronaut on the ISS Faced a Prayer Challenge
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor made history as the first Malaysian astronaut. On October 10, 2007, he embarked on a nine-day mission to the ISS. However, Shukor and his country faced some unique challenges before the journey. As a Muslim, Shukor was required to pray five times a day, a practice mandated by Islam. The mission also coincided with Ramadan, a month when Muslims are expected to fast.
As we mentioned earlier, the ISS experiences sunrises and sunsets every 90 minutes. This posed a challenge for Shukor, as Islamic prayer times depend on the position of the Sun in the sky. Additionally, Muslims must face the Kaaba in Mecca while praying. On the ISS, the direction of the Kaaba and Mecca would constantly change. During a prayer, Shukor could even find himself shifting from facing the Kaaba to being parallel to it.
In response to this issue, Angkasa, Malaysia's counterpart to NASA, brought together 150 Islamic scholars and scientists. The group concluded that Shukor should begin each prayer facing the Kaaba and disregard any subsequent changes in direction. If he couldn't determine the Kaaba’s position, he could face any direction he believed was correct. If that proved difficult, he could simply face Earth or take whatever action he deemed necessary.
The assembly also agreed that Shukor was not required to kneel during prayers if the weightlessness aboard the ISS made it difficult to do so. Ablution with water was also deemed unnecessary, as he could wipe his body with a wet towel. Shukor was permitted to reduce his prayers from five to three, and he was exempted from fasting, as Islam allows travelers to skip fasting.
7. Earthly Politics
As mentioned earlier, the International Space Station isn't owned by a single country. It was constructed and is jointly owned by the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and various European nations. Each country or group, like the European Space Agency, controls specific sections of the ISS, along with the modules they contributed.
The ISS is divided into two main sections: the US section and the Russian section. The Russian section is solely for Russia's use, while the US section is shared by all the other participating nations. In fact, both the US and Russia have carried their political tensions into space through their involvement with the ISS.
This conflict came to light in 2014, when the United States imposed sanctions on Russia and cut ties with certain Russian agencies, including Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency. However, this created a significant problem.
NASA no longer operates space shuttles and relies on Roscosmos to transport its astronauts to the ISS. If Roscosmos were to pull out or refuse to send or retrieve American astronauts, NASA and the United States would face an embarrassing situation. After the relationship was severed, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, humorously suggested that the US should start sending astronauts to the ISS via trampolines.
6. There’s No Laundry
The ISS is not equipped with a washing machine. Even if it were, astronauts don’t have an abundance of water to use for laundry. One solution could be for astronauts to bring enough clothing for the entire mission, so they wouldn’t need to wash anything, but that's not always the case.
Sending a pound of cargo to the ISS costs anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, and no one is willing to pay that much to transport clothing. Astronauts also can’t bring their dirty laundry back to Earth, as there’s simply not enough space in the shuttle. So, they end up incinerating their worn clothes.
Astronauts don’t require a daily change of clothes as we do on Earth. While they do exercise regularly, they don’t need to move around much in the microgravity environment. The ISS’s temperature and humidity are carefully controlled, allowing astronauts to wear the same clothes for up to four days before switching to a fresh set.
Russia frequently launches unmanned spacecraft to resupply the ISS. These spacecraft are designed for one-way trips only, meaning they cannot return to Earth intact. Once they dock with the station, astronauts offload the supplies and fill the spacecraft with trash and used clothing. Afterward, it is undocked, and both the spacecraft and its contents burn up upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere, falling into the Pacific Ocean.
5. Astronauts Exercise A Lot
Astronauts typically lose both bone and muscle mass during space missions. For every month spent in space, they lose approximately two percent of the minerals in their limb bones. While this may seem insignificant, the effects accumulate quickly. A standard six-month mission can result in astronauts losing up to one-quarter of the bone mass in certain areas of their skeleton.
To counter this bone and muscle loss, space agencies require astronauts to exercise for about two hours daily. Despite this effort, they still experience a reduction in bone and muscle mass. However, because virtually every astronaut exercises regularly, space agencies lack control groups to measure the true impact of these exercise routines.
The exercise equipment on the ISS is not the same as what we use on Earth. Due to the lack of gravity in space, astronauts require specially designed equipment to maintain their physical fitness.
4. The Toilet Astronauts Use Is Dependent On Their Nationality
In the early days of the International Space Station, astronauts from different countries, including cosmonauts, shared the same equipment, facilities, food, and even toilets. However, around 2003, Russia began demanding that other nations pay for their astronauts' use of Russian equipment and facilities. This led to those countries charging Russia for the use of their own hardware by the Russian crew.
The situation grew more complex in 2005, when Russia started charging NASA for transporting US astronauts to the ISS. In response, the US barred cosmonauts from using American equipment and facilities, including the toilets. National pride played a big role in this decision. So, be proud of your nation's toilet!
3. Chinese Astronauts Are Not Allowed to Visit the ISS
Chinese astronauts are prohibited from visiting the ISS due to the United States' stance. This ban was implemented in 2011 when the US Congress passed legislation preventing any collaboration between the US and Chinese space programs. The reasoning behind the ban is the concern that China's space program might have military applications. The US government is hesitant to indirectly support China's military technology by cooperating with its space endeavors.
According to Time, this approach is misguided. The US government needs to realize that banning China from participating in the ISS or halting collaboration with the Chinese space program won't stop China from advancing its own space exploration. China has already launched astronauts into space and sent a robot to the Moon. The country also has plans to establish its own space station and is preparing to send a rover to Mars.
2. There Are Weapons On Board
There are generally one or two firearms aboard the ISS. These guns belong to the cosmonauts and are stored in a survival kit that is accessible to all crew members. Each gun features three barrels and can fire flares, rifle rounds, or shotgun rounds. They also have fold-out attachments that can be used as either shovels or machetes.
The exact reason for keeping these versatile weapons aboard the ISS remains unclear. However, we do know that in 1965, cosmonauts returning to Earth were confronted by aggressive bears, possibly attracted by the scent of space-faring humans. The gun could be a precaution for such situations or perhaps for defending against unexpected extraterrestrial threats to the ISS.
1. Russia Might End the Program
Russia doesn't hold the authority to directly prohibit the US or any other nation from using the International Space Station, but it does have the potential to impose an indirect ban on the US's involvement with the ISS.
As previously discussed, the US is dependent on Russia for transporting astronauts to the ISS. In 2014, Dmitry Rogozin suggested that Russia might reallocate the resources currently devoted to its space program toward other endeavors starting in 2020, despite the US’s desire to continue sending astronauts to the ISS until 2024.
If Russia follows through on scaling back or even halting its space program by 2020, it could severely limit or entirely prevent US astronauts from reaching the ISS. Rogozin emphasized that while Russia could continue to access the ISS without the US, the US would struggle to do so without Russia's cooperation.
In response, NASA is already partnering with commercial space companies to facilitate the transportation and retrieval of US astronauts from the ISS in case Russia takes such steps. Meanwhile, NASA might also need to consider the trampoline Dmitry humorously alluded to.
