The International Space Station, or ISS, is one of humanity’s most remote outposts.
Space agencies around the world teamed up in the 1980s and 1990s to construct this distant laboratory. Pieces of the station were built in different countries and launched into orbit around Earth. Some 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the surface, astronauts and robots put those pieces together like a giant Lego set. Today, running the ISS is a team effort by the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia. China’s Tiangong space station, completed in 2022, orbits Earth at about the same altitude.
See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series
Astronauts aboard the ISS have about as much living and working space as you would find in a large house. There are six sleeping areas, two bathrooms and a gym. There are also multiple spaces for conducting scientific research. But the whole station is much bigger than that. It is winged by huge solar panels that power the station. End to end, the ISS is about as long as an American football field.
Since the year 2000, the ISS has hosted nearly 300 people. In this weightless setting, astronauts have run a wide variety of experiments. They have tested how various materials, plants, animals and microbes behave in space. Astronauts have also served as experiments themselves. Scientists have studied their bodies to discover how life in space affects people’s bones, brains, DNA and more. That research could inform future long-term space missions to the moon or other planets.
But the decades-old ISS is reaching the end of its lifespan. It is expected to continue operating until around 2030. At that time, another spacecraft will bring it safely out of orbit, burning up and breaking apart in the atmosphere over the ocean. Afterward, other space stations owned by private companies may serve some of the same roles as the current ISS.
The International Space Station has been home to nearly 300 astronauts, including these members of Expedition 68, which took place in 2022 and 2023.NASA
Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:
This astronaut took a winding journey into space Astronaut Kjell Lindgren has flown into space twice and performed more than 100 scientific experiments. He is now part of the crew planning a return to the moon. (6/22/2023) Readability: 7.3
Space trash could kill satellites, space stations — and astronauts As private companies prepare to sprinkle space with tens of thousands of satellites, experts worry about the mushrooming threat of space junk. (3/3/2022) Readability: 7.8
How a year in space affected Scott Kelly’s health Nearly a year in space changed Scott Kelly’s genes, brain function and more, NASA’s Twin Study shows. (5/17/2019) Readability: 7.3
NASA experiments on the International Space Station showed how microgravity affects flames. On the ground, flames flicker upward in a teardrop shape. But in space, they become spherical.
Explore more
Explainer: Gravity and microgravity
Explainer: Our atmosphere — layer by layer
Space station sensors saw how weird ‘blue jet’ lightning forms
If bacteria stick together, they can survive for years in space
Space tourists could face out-of-this-world health risks
Swollen chambers in astronauts’ brains may take 3 years to recover
Staying grounded in space requires artificial gravity
NASA is readying to send humans back to the moon
Here’s how a new sleeping bag could protect astronauts’ eyesight
Activities
Want to see the International Space Station for yourself? Easy! The space station is the third brightest object in the night sky. You just need to know when to look up — which you can find out using NASA’s Spot the Station app or website.
Leave a Reply