Solar system station

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4 FAQs about Solar system station

What is the International Space Station?

The International Space Station is humanity’s home in space and a research station orbiting about 250 miles above the Earth. Learn more about astronaut health and training. To view more images, visit the Space Station Gallery. A YouTube playlist containing a variety of videos about the International Space Station.

What is a space station and how does it work?

A lot of work on the station goes into studying how various aspects of the space environment, like space radiation and microgravity, affect biology and nonliving materials. The station also provides an orbital platform for experiments that monitor Earth, study space weather, and test fundamental physics.

How was the International Space Station built?

The International Space Station was taken into space piece-by-piece and gradually built in orbit using spacewalking astronauts and robotics. Most missions used NASA's space shuttle to carry up the heavier pieces, although some individual modules were launched on single-use rockets.

How much space does the International Space Station have?

The 420-tonne International Space Station has more than 916 cubic metres of pressurised space - enough room for its crew of six persons and a vast array of scientific experiments. Station construction began in November 1998 with the launch of Russia’s Zarya module.