How and why did the space station become?

forbes.com

In 1998, the first part of the space station project was jointly organized by a group of 18 countries with the aim of closely monitoring the activities and events in space like planets, stars, weather, aliens, cosmic and extraterrestrial, etc. Established in Since 2000, the station was made habitable for humans. Since then, someone has been living on it. It can hold a maximum of six astronauts at a time.

The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which team members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields. The station is also well suited for testing spacecraft systems and equipment for the Moon and Mars.

Interesting facts about International Space Station (ISS)

1. The International Space Station was launched on 20 November 1998. Its various parts have been dispatched through 136 flights. Scientists added these parts to space itself.
2. The International Space Station is the most expensive project ever. It has cost a total of 160 billion dollars. This is equivalent to more than Rs 11 lakh crore in Indian currency.
3. There are 16 countries involved in making this space station. America, Russia, Canada, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Dun, Switzerland, and the UK.
4. So far 232 astronauts from 18 countries have been sent to the ISS. Spacecraft has been sent on it 19 times, in which some new items were sent there. The number of times Astronauts were sent there, each time a different spacecraft was used.
5. The space station is spread over 357 sq ft, which is bigger than a football field. Its weight is 420,000 kg. This is equivalent to the weight of 320 cars.
6. The space station moves at an altitude of 330 to 435 km in the Earth's orbit. The space station revolves around the Earth at a speed of 24 hours 27,600 km per hour. In this way, it completes one round of the earth every 92 minutes and takes 15 and a half rounds of the earth in a day. Due to its low height, it can sometimes be seen with naked eyes.
7. In 2003, the US space agency NASA decided to leave the ISS empty after being subjected to a Columbia Shuttle crash, but later decided to keep astronauts at the station at all times. According to NASA, if the International Space Station is left empty, the risk of losing it will increase.

How do astronauts live in the space station?

From 2 November 2000 till now, astronauts are being sent continuously on it for the last 17 years. The astronauts work on a rotation of 6–6 months. However, living there is not as easy as Earth. Here is some interesting information related to this:

1. Because of zero gravity in space, it is not possible to walk like the Earth. Even in the space station, travelers have to roam around here and there. Due to no load on the soles, the skin there begins to erode. If an astronaut removes his socks rapidly, then the pieces of the 'dead skin' of his feet can spread.
2. Even at bedtime, astronauts use sleeping bags or compartments to keep themselves from swimming due to zero gravity and brace themselves with a light strap.
3. They have to take care of many things while eating. The space station has 150 items available for them to eat. All these items are usually in airtight containers. By adding water to some or heating in the oven, they are ready to eat. To drink the liquid, they use straws that need to be drunk directly from sealed containers.
4. There is an acute shortage of water in space, so astronauts cannot wash clothes. They wear the same clothes for several days and replace them with new clothes when needed.
5. To defecate, astronauts tie themselves to a seat like an English toilet with a belt so that they do not fly. A machine like a vacuum cleaner in the toilet pulls out all the dirt.
6. Astronauts do not take baths but clean themselves with wet towels fitted with body shampoo. They use waterless shampoo to wash hair.