A International Space Station (ISS) is a space laboratory that has been in Earth’s orbit for 25 years. It is used to study topics such as human physiology, radiation, engineering, biology, physics and add knowledge to future space exploration missions.
It is the largest man-made object to ever orbit the Earth, being the size of a six-bedroom house. Inside the ISS there are six bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree panoramic window.
The laboratory is the result of a collaboration between NASA (United States Space Agency), ESA (European Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), Jaxa (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and the State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos, from Russia.
How does the ISS work?
The space laboratory was built between 1984 and 1993 and has been manned since 2000, having already received more than 270 astronauts. During its operation, more than 260 spacewalks have been necessary for its assembly, maintenance and reconfiguration.
During transfers, it is capable of transporting a crew of three to 13 people simultaneously and permanently accommodates up to seven people. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson set the record for spending the longest time living and working in space, 665 days completed in 2017.
In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits around the Earth, traveling through the lower atmosphere, 408 kilometers from the planet’s surface. After launch, a spacecraft can reach the ISS in up to four hours.
The station loses, on average, 100 meters in altitude and, from time to time, it is necessary to boost it so that the ISS does not fall onto our planet. The website AstroViewer shows your current position and what the astronauts are currently seeing. Furthermore, NASA broadcasts live what is happening in the module on its channel YouTube.
Radiation research to human physiology
The ISS has already produced 3,700 experiments in its microgravity environment that have generated around 500 research articles published in scientific journals. In 2023 alone, 500 investigations were created on site.
Last year, analyzes of how atmospheric lightning generated by storms affect the Earth’s atmosphere and climate came to the fore, helping to improve climate forecasts. Also, research by CSA (Canadian Space Agency) studied the technologies used in 2D and 3D ultrasound to define which is more accurate to improve the health of the crew and people on Earth.
Furthermore, an investigation into the dispersion of gas bubbles in foams brought results to improve these substances in various uses. The research provided information that could be useful in fighting fires and treating water in space and producing detergents, foods and medicines on Earth.
Each year, the hundreds of research studies carried out on the ISS help to improve technologies for astronauts and the Earth population.
Your possible goals
The ISS will continue to be a functional laboratory in orbit until at least 2030. However, after that, its useful life will come to an end. It is predicted that, when this year arrives, the structure of modules and radiators, in addition to the system that connects other spacecraft, will reach its limit of safe use.
NASA says it is still studying viable options for disabling the space laboratory. Some of the options are to dismantle it and send it back to Earth — which they consider an extremely costly and laborious job; give a boost capable of placing it in a higher orbit, a “space cemetery”, just as they do with some satellites; or make a controlled re-entry to our surface, a possibility that could create risks for the population due to falling debris.
In the end, it is likely that there will not be just one measure chosen and that agencies will use all their resources to disable the ISS responsibly.
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