Welcome to the 2nd post of this series. Today we’re talking about the ISS, the largest man-made structure in outer space.
What is the ISS essentially for? It is fundamentally a multinational laboratory in outer space that also assists in various space missions conducted by several space agencies around the world. It is also a hub for astronauts to do research that is deemed impossible to do on Earth, like microgravity research. Microgravity is an environment where objects experience near-weightlessness. Floating 400 km (about 250 miles) above Earth, it only experiences a fraction of the gravity we experience. So, how was this outer space experiment station constructed?
Now, you have to understand the thought process. Humans have to live on this. This building has to be a suitable, sustainable, and functional space habitat for them to live in. The ISS was first planned by NASA, and called Space Station Freedom, after a directive by then President Ronald Reagan. However, when initial planning took place, they found out the costs would be way too much for the U.S to bear. Thus, it turned it into an international collaboration in the 1990s. The ISS’s construction story has an interesting twist: it was built part by part in outer space.
In 1998, the first module, Zarya, was launched, kicking off an assembly phase that spanned over 30 missions and 13 years. Astronauts did over 230 spacewalks, each lasting 6-8 hours, coming up to anywhere between 1380 hours to 1840 hours of fixing solar panels, connecting modules, and repairing equipment. Remember, this is space, so even a slight slip is fatal to the astronaut and disastrous to the ISS.
Now, I could go on, but I feel like this is already a long post, so I’m going to continue tomorrow. Bye for now.
RELATED POSTS
View all
