The International Space Station (ISS) is a marvel of human engineering and scientific cooperation and has been orbiting the Earth since 1998 and has been continuously inhabited since 2000.
Not to mention any of the memorabilia created around it, with artistic creations such as games (Halo), movies (Space Odyssey) and books (The Lighthouse at the End of the World)
Here, the 12 things you may not know about the ISS.
1. It is not a single module, but a set of modules that have been added over time. The first module, the Russian module Zarya, was launched in 1998. Since then, several space agencies have added modules.
2. It is visible from Earth with the naked eye. It appears as a bright, fast-moving star-like object in the sky. It can be seen from most parts of the world, at certain times of the day and night.
3. It has a water and air recycling system. This means the crew can reuse their urine and sweat to produce clean water, and the carbon dioxide from their breath is converted back into oxygen.
4. Typically have a crew of six astronauts and cosmonauts living and working on the station for extended periods.
5. The station is equipped with a gym, a bathroom and a kitchen. The crew also has access to a variety of foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, some of them grown on the station.
6. The ISS has a wide range of scientific instruments, experiments and studies on the effects of microgravity on the human body and the behavior of materials in space.
7. It is not owned by any country. It is a joint project between five space agencies: NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan) , ESA (Europe) and CSA (Canada).
8. The ISS orbits the Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour. This means that it completes an orbit every 90 minutes and circles the Earth more than 15 times a day.
9. It is located in low Earth orbit, which means it is not technically in outer space. It is still affected by Earth's gravity and is protected from the strong radiation of space by Earth's magnetic field.
10. The ISS is the largest man-made object in space. It is the size of a football field and weighs more than 400 tons.
11. The ISS has been visited by more than 240 people from 19 countries, including space tourists.
12. The ISS is expected to remain in service until at least 2028. After that, it may be decommissioned or replaced by a new space station.
There are still many fascinating facts that are not widely known and hopefully this article sheds some light on them.
A remarkable feat of human ingenuity that serves as a symbol of what can be possible when People work together to achieve the same goal.