Cosmic Lure: International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) was a project started in 1998 by many different countries to get a facility in orbit around the Earth for different types of science experiments. These experiments included how long a human could stay in a low gravity environment, study of the Earth's atmosphere, different biological tests, and many, many more. There are currently 5 space agencies involved with maintaining and sending crew to the ISS. These 5 agencies consist of over 15 countries! That's a lot of people from all over the world working together towards a common goal.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the different modules that make up the ISS were taken to space in the Space Shuttles. The ISS is the largest man-made satellite ever built. It is roughly the size of a football field. It orbits the Earth with an average altitude of 228 miles. It can circle the Earth in just 90 minutes, flying at a speed of over 17,000 miles per hour!

Since the Space Shuttle program has ended, private companies and other countries have taken over the role that the Space Shuttle provided. Not only was the Space Shuttle the main vehicle to get the modules to the ISS, but was also the primary source of providing supplies and removing waste and trash. Currently, SpaceX has sent a few resupply crafts to the ISS to deliver food, supplies, and science experiments and also bringing the waste and trash back to Earth. The Space Shuttle was also able to take crew to the ISS and bring other crew members back to Earth. Now, the Russian Soyuz spacecraft is responsible for taking and returning crew members back to Earth.

Speaking of crew, the ISS usually houses 6 crew members at a time, but can accommodate up to 12. In the past, when the Space Shuttle would dock with the ISS, all members of the shuttle would board the ISS and stay for a few days before returning to Earth. During this time, 3 to 4 members from the Space Shuttle crew would stay on board the ISS while 3 to 4 crew from the ISS would board the Space Shuttle and return to Earth. Now, with the Space Shuttles being retired, the Soyuz capsule takes up three crew and is also able to return 3 members back to Earth. There is always at least 2 Soyuz capsules docked to the ISS in case of an emergency.

Spacewalks are also a common occurence at the ISS. These spacewalks are for maintaining the outside of the ISS. Maintenance includes repairs, replacing old parts with new ones, and even installing new cameras on the outside of the ISS.

I was fortunate enough to see one of the last modules of the ISS at Kennedy Space Center before it was loaded on a shuttle and taken to space. The people in charge of assembling each module were required to wear special suits. These suits are referred to as "bunny suits". I have included a picture below of a gentleman wearing once of these suits while working on a module for the ISS.

The ISS is easily visible in the sky if you know where and when to look up. Some days, the ISS can even outshine the planet Venus! The ISS is often mistaken for an aircraft of some sort or even a UFO! Remember, aircraft have blinking lights and the ISS will be a solid light moving in the sky. The light that you can see from the ISS is actually the reflection of the Sun. Just like the light seen from the Moon is the light from the Sun reflecting off the surface.

Here is a link for finding the next ISS sighting opportunity in your area: NASA: Spot the Station
For those with a smart phone, you can download a free app that will let you know when the ISS is flying over your location. The app I use (for an Android phone) is called: ISS Detector Satellite Tracker. This app sends me a notification for when the ISS (and other satellites) are flying over. I don't really have any complaints about this app except sometimes it doesn't update your location if you leave your home area. To fix this, you can just click the refresh button on the app. For those with an iPhone, try ISS Spotter. I've never used this app, so if it doesn't work out, I apologize. Let me know if you find something better!

On the night of August 16th and early morning of August 17th, my brother and I went out to an area close to Area 62 to practice our astrophotography skills. I was able to capture quite a few shots of the ISS and would love to share the best ones with you. Please feel free to leave comments! I love hearing from you!