The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest artificial space station in the Solar System and the biggest satellite in lower Earth orbit, often visible to the naked eye from Earth. The multi-nation station serves a vital role in the development of space travel, especially in aiding the new research of making Mars habitable. The ISS has hosted more than 250 people since its first inhabitants in 1998.
The initial stage of the ISS
The project was initially a US-only initiative called Space Station Freedom, but there was a long delay in launch due to a lack of funds and technical problems. According to the initial 1980s authorization, it was to be completed in 10 years but after facing difficulties the project made some changes and the Station Freedom concept was redesigned and renamed to reduce costs and involve other countries.
In 1993, the Russia and United States agreed to merge their separate space station plans into a single project integrating their respective modules and including intake from the Japanese and European Space Agency. Towards the end of the year, a collaborative agreement board recruited some more space agencies and companies to work alongside them on the project. Working with scientists and engineers from different backgrounds posed a challenge but the International Organization for Standardization was able to help overcome the differences by unifying them and overcoming different engineering techniques, overcoming language barriers, standards, and management across all manufacturing activities of the station components.
The Nations behind the ISS
The project was initially handled by just NASA and was meant to be US-only but several issues prompted the States to look for collaborations. After careful planning and agreements, they welcomed other space agencies: Russia's Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, Europe's 1980s and Canada's CSA into their vision.
The ISS has been stated as the most expensive single item ever designed, as of 2010, the total cost was over 150 billion USD, which would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts on an international level.
The Launch of ISS
The first International Space Station segment was launched in the year 1998, and the first long-term residents arrived two years later when all tests were successful. It was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 31 October 2000. The station has since been continuously occupied for 22 years the longest continuous human presence in low Earth orbit, having surpassed the previous record of 9 years and 357 days held by the Mir space station.
The station has been altered many times since its launch with newer modules to help facilitate research and take into account the technological advances since its launch. Nauka, the latest major module, was integrated in 2021, after over ten years since the previous major addition, Leonardo. At the beginning of 2022, the station's operations timeline was extended to 2030, with the majority of funding secured within the United States. There has been talk to privatize ISS operations after 2030 to support the study for the future Moon and Mars missions, and even the former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine supports the idea of privatization.
Making of the Space Station
The task to create the International Space Station took more than a decade and required the construction of manufacturing facilities from around the globe, mostly in the United States and Europe. The major agencies involved in the manufacturing process involved NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency.
The unique project had involvement from 16 countries and cooperation posed many engineering challenges that had to be overcome. The differences in language, culture and politics were a major problem for the teams who had to set aside their differences to realize the dream of ISS. Apart from these, it was difficult to manage engineering processes, measuring standards and communication which were pivotal to ensure that all elements connect and work as per
the plan. The station was designed to be used by astronauts indefinitely so the agreement also called for the station components to be made long lasting and versatile. For this project alone, a series of new engineering and manufacturing processes and equipment were developed using shipments of steel, aluminium alloys and other materials.
Purpose of the ISS Scientific research
The ISS provides a space to conduct scientific experiments, with electricity, data, cooling, and a skilled crew available to conduct experiments. Small AI-governed spacecraft can also conduct experiments, but space stations with longer durability offer a long-term environment where research can be carried out potentially for decades, and experiments are conducted and studied by human researchers.
Freefall
Gravity at the height at which the ISS orbits is around 90% as strong as at Earth's surface, but items in orbit are in a never-ending state of freefall, which gives rise to seeming weightlessness. This perceived weightlessness can have various causes like drag, tidal effects, orbital changes and vibrations, which were studied by scientists.
Exploration
The International Space Station provides a place in lower Earth orbit for the testing of spacecraft systems that are being developed for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. This helps in training for operations, maintenance as well as any repair and replacement activities that may be needed on-orbit. So the ISS will help in training for operating spacecraft farther from Earth, reduce mission risks significantly, and help in developing safer, faster interplanetary spacecraft.
Education and cultural outreach
Apart from serving its purpose of research, it is also widely used to teach students about space. The ISS crew provides opportunities for aspiring students by making educational demonstrations that show life in space, providing free study material, online, allowing for student participation in classroom versions of various ISS experiments, and they even directly engage with students using radio phones, and email. In some places, students are also able navigate a 3D model of the interior and exterior of the ISS, and even face spontaneous challenges to simulate real world experience.
ISS's story comes to an end
In late 2010, the preferred plan was to use a slightly modified Progress spacecraft to de-orbit the ISS. This plan was seen as the simplest, cheapest and with the lowest risk to human life. There have also been discussions within the commercial space industry that the station could be used for commercial operations such as mars exploration studies after it is no longer used by government entities.
After extensive meetings, NASA finally announced a planned date of January 2031 to retire the ISS using a de-orbit module and direct any remnant parts into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean. NASA is planning to launch the de-orbiting spacecraft, a year before the station reenters, from the Harmony forward port.
The spacecraft would get to work in the final days of ISS, once the station's orbit has come down to 220 km. The spacecraft would then conduct one or more orientation burns to lower the distance to 160 km, followed by one last de-orbiting burn.
Conclusion
The largest international Space Station has forever altered the world of space exploration and research. The ISS continues to serve as a base for major countries and much of the potential is still yet to be realized. A unique project which has brought together nations rarely seen together, the ISS is truly one of a kind. The station has served faithfully for over 22 years and helped in advancing the field of astronomy and now it remains to be seen how the ISS helps in revolutionizing space travel in the years to come and hopefully make the mission to Mars successful.
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