However, in space everything is different, some phenomena are simply inexplicable and defy any laws in principle. For example, a satellite launched several years ago, or other objects will rotate in their orbit and never fall. Why is this happening, how fast the rocket flies into space? Physicists assume that there is centrifugal force that neutralizes the action of gravity.
Having done a small experiment, we ourselves, without leaving the house, can understand and feel this. To do this, you need to take a thread and tie a small weight to one end, then unwind the thread around the circumference. We will feel that the higher the speed, the clearer the trajectory of the load, and the thread stretches more, if we weaken the force, the rotation speed of the object will decrease and the risk that the load will fall increases several times. With such a little experience, we will begin to develop our theme - speed in space.
It becomes clear that high speed allows any object to overcome the force of gravity. As for space objects, any of them have their own speed, it is different. Four main types of such a speed are determined, and the smallest of them is the first. It is at this speed that the ship flies into the Earth's orbit.
In order to fly out of it, you need a second speed in space... At the third speed, gravity is completely overcome and you can fly out of the solar system... Fourth rocket speed in space will allow you to leave the galaxy itself, this is about 550 km / s. We have always been interested in rocket speed in space, km h, when entering orbit, it equals 8 km / s, beyond its limits - 11 km / s, that is, developing its capabilities up to 33,000 km / h. The rocket gradually increases its speed, full acceleration starts from an altitude of 35 km. Speedspacewalk is 40,000 km / h.
Speed in space: record
Maximum speed in space- The record set 46 years ago is still held, it was made by the astronauts who took part in the Apollo 10 mission. Having flown around the moon, they returned back when spaceship speed in space was 39 897 km / h. In the near future, it is planned to send the Orion spacecraft into zero-gravity space, which will launch astronauts into low-earth orbit. Perhaps then it will be possible to break the 46-year record. The speed of light in space- 1 billion km / h. I wonder if we can cover this distance with our maximum accessible speed of 40,000 km / h. Here what is the speed in space develops in the light, but we do not feel it here.
In theory, a person can move at a speed slightly less than the speed of light. However, this will entail colossal harm, especially for an unprepared organism. Indeed, to begin with, you need to develop such a speed, make an effort to safely reduce it. Because rapid acceleration and deceleration can be fatal to humans.
In ancient times, it was believed that the Earth is motionless, no one was interested in the question of the speed of its rotation in orbit, because such concepts, in principle, did not exist. But even now it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer to the question, because the value is not the same in different geographic points. Closer to the equator, the speed will be higher, in the south of Europe it is 1200 km / h, this is the average the speed of the earth in space.
International space station, ISS (International Space Station, ISS) is a manned multipurpose space research complex.
Participating in the creation of the ISS: Russia (Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos); USA (US National Aerospace Agency, NASA); Japan (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA), 18 European countries(European Space Agency, ESA); Canada (Canadian Space Agency, CSA), Brazil (Brazilian Space Agency, AEB).
Start of construction - 1998.
The first module is "Zarya".
Completion of construction (presumably) - 2012.
The ISS completion date (presumably) is 2020.
The orbital altitude is 350-460 kilometers from the Earth.
The orbital inclination is 51.6 degrees.
The ISS makes 16 revolutions per day.
Station weight (at the time of completion of construction) - 400 tons (in 2009 - 300 tons).
Internal space (at the time of completion of construction) - 1, 2 thousand cubic meters.
Length (along the main axis along which the main modules are lined up) - 44.5 meters.
The height is almost 27.5 meters.
Width (by solar panels) - over 73 meters.
The first space tourists visited the ISS (sent by Roscosmos together with Space Adventures).
In 2007, the flight of the first Malaysian cosmonaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, was organized.
The cost of building the ISS by 2009 amounted to $ 100 billion.
Flight control:
the Russian segment is carried out from MCC-M (MCC-Moscow, the city of Korolev, Russia);
by the American segment - from MCC-X (MCC-Houston, Houston, USA).
The work of the laboratory modules included in the ISS is controlled by:
European "Columbus" - Control Center of the European Space Agency (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany);
Japanese "Kibo" - MCC of the Japanese Aerospace Research Agency (Tsukuba, Japan).
The flight of the European automatic cargo vehicle ATV "Jules Verne" intended for supplying the ISS, together with MCC-M and MCC-X, was controlled by the European Space Agency Center (Toulouse, France).
The technical coordination of the work on the Russian segment of the ISS and its integration with the American segment is carried out by the Council of Chief Designers under the leadership of the President, General Designer of RSC Energia im. S.P. Korolev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu.P. Semenova.
The preparation and launch of the elements of the Russian segment of the ISS is supervised by the Interstate Commission for Flight Support and Operation of Manned Orbital Complexes.
According to the existing international agreement, each project participant owns its segments on the ISS.
The leading organization for the creation of the Russian segment and its integration with the American segment is RSC Energia im. S.P. Queen, and for the American segment - Boeing.
About 200 organizations are involved in the manufacture of elements of the Russian segment, including: Russian academy sciences; experimental mechanical engineering plant RSC Energia named after S.P. Queen; rocket and space plant GKNPTs them. M.V. Khrunichev; GNP RKTs "TsSKB-Progress"; Design bureau of general mechanical engineering; RNII of space instrumentation; Research Institute of Precision Instruments; RGNII TsPK them. Yu.A. Gagarin.
Russian segment: service module "Zvezda"; functional cargo block "Zarya"; docking bay "Pirs".
American segment: node module "Unity"; gateway module "Quest"; laboratory module "Destiny".
Canada has created a manipulator for the ISS on the LAB module - a 17.6-meter Canadarm robot arm.
Italy supplies the ISS with so-called Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLM). By 2009, three of them were made: "Leonardo", "Rafaello", "Donatello" ("Leonardo", "Raffaello", "Donatello"). These are large cylinders (6.4 x 4.6 meters) with a docking station. An empty logistics module weighs 4.5 tonnes and can be loaded with up to 10 tonnes of experiment equipment and consumables.
The delivery of people to the station is provided by Russian Soyuz and American shuttles (reusable shuttles); cargo is delivered by Russian Progress and American shuttles.
Japan created its first scientific orbital laboratory, which became the largest module of the ISS - "Kibo" (translated from Japanese "Hope", international abbreviation - JEM, Japanese Experiment Module).
The Columbus research module was made by a consortium of European aerospace firms at the request of the European Space Agency. It is designed for physical, materials science, biomedical and other experiments in the absence of gravity. By order of ESA, the "Harmony" module was made, which connects the "Kibo" and "Columbus" modules, and also provides their power supply and data exchange.
Additional modules and devices were also made on the ISS: the module of the root segment and gyrodines at node-1 (Node 1); power module (section SB AC) on Z1; mobile service system; device for moving equipment and crew; device "B" of the equipment and crew movement system; trusses S0, S1, P1, P3 / P4, P5, S3 / S4, S5, S6.
All ISS laboratory modules have standardized racks for installing blocks with experimental equipment. Over time, the ISS will acquire new assemblies and modules: the Russian segment should be replenished with a scientific and energy platform, the Enterprise multipurpose research module and a second functional cargo block (FGB-2). The module "Node 3" will be equipped with the "Cupola" node, built in Italy. This is a dome with a number of very large windows, through which the inhabitants of the station, like in a theater, will be able to observe the arrival of ships and control the work of their colleagues in open space.
The history of the creation of the ISS
Work on the International Space Station began in 1993.
Russia offered the United States to join forces in the implementation of manned programs. By that time, Russia had a 25-year history of operating the Salyut and Mir orbital stations, and also had invaluable experience in long-term flights, research and developed infrastructure space vehicles. But by 1991, the country found itself in a difficult economic situation. At the same time, the creators of the Freedom orbital station (USA) were also experiencing financial difficulties.
March 15, 1993 general manager agency Roscosmos A Yu.N. Koptev and general designer NPO Energia Yu.P. Semenov turned to the head of NASA Goldin with a proposal to create the International Space Station.
September 2, 1993 Prime Minister Russian Federation Viktor Chernomyrdin and US Vice President Albert Gore signed a Joint Statement on Cooperation in Space, which provided for the creation of a joint station. On November 1, 1993, the "Detailed Work Plan for the International Space Station" was signed, and in June 1994, a contract between NASA and Roscosmos "On supplies and services for the Mir station and the International Space Station" was signed.
The initial stage of construction provides for the creation of a functionally complete structure of the station from a limited number of modules. The first to be launched into orbit by the Proton-K launch vehicle was the Zarya functional cargo block (1998), made in Russia. The second was the shuttle delivered by the ship and docked with the functional cargo block, the American docking module Node-1 - "Unity" (December 1998). The third was the Russian service module Zvezda (2000), which provides control of the station, life support for the crew, orientation of the station and orbit correction. The fourth is the American laboratory module "Destiny" (2001).
The first ISS prime crew that arrived at the station on November 2, 2000 aboard the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft: William Shepherd (USA), ISS commander, flight engineer-2 of the Soyuz-TM-31 spacecraft; Sergey Krikalev (Russia), flight engineer of the Soyuz-TM-31 spacecraft; Yuri Gidzenko (Russia), ISS pilot, Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft commander.
The duration of the flight of the ISS-1 crew was about four months. Its return to Earth was carried out by the US Space Shuttle, which delivered the crew of the second main expedition to the ISS. The Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft remained in the ISS for six months and served as a rescue vehicle for the crew on board.
In 2001, the P6 power module was installed on the Z1 root segment, the Destiny laboratory module, the Quest airlock, the Pirs docking bay, two telescopic cargo booms, and a remote manipulator were delivered to orbit. In 2002, the station was replenished with three truss structures (S0, S1, P6), two of which are equipped with transport devices for moving the remote manipulator and astronauts while working in outer space.
Construction of the ISS was suspended due to the disaster of the American spacecraft Columbia on February 1, 2003, and in 2006 construction work was resumed.
In 2001 and twice in 2007, the failure of computers in the Russian and American segments was recorded. In 2006, smoke appeared in the Russian segment of the station. In the fall of 2007, the station crew conducted renovation work solar battery.
New sections were delivered to the station solar panels... At the end of 2007, the ISS was replenished with two sealed modules. In October, the Discovery STS-120 shuttle brought into orbit the Harmony node-2 connecting module, which became the main berth for the shuttles.
The European laboratory module Columbus was launched into orbit on the Atlantis STS-122 spacecraft and, with the help of the spacecraft's manipulator, put it in its proper place (February 2008). Then the Japanese Kibo module was added to the ISS (June 2008), its first element was delivered to the ISS by the Endeavor shuttle STS-123 (March 2008).
ISS perspectives
According to some pessimistic experts, the ISS is a waste of time and money. They believe that the station has not yet been built, but is already outdated.
However, in the implementation of a long-term program of space flights to the Moon or Mars, mankind cannot do without the ISS.
Since 2009, the permanent crew of the ISS will be increased to 9 people, and the number of experiments will increase. Russia has planned to conduct 331 experiments on the ISS in the coming years. The European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners have already built a new transport vehicle - Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which will be launched into base orbit (300 kilometers altitude) by an Ariane-5 ES ATV rocket, from where the ATV will go into orbit using its engines. ISS (400 kilometers above the Earth). The payload of this automatic ship, 10.3 meters long and 4.5 meters in diameter, is 7.5 tons. It will be experimental equipment, food, air and water for the ISS crew. The first of the ATV series (September 2008) was named "Jules Verne". After docking with the ISS in automatic mode, the ATV can operate in its composition for six months, after which the ship is loaded with garbage and in a controlled mode is flooded into Pacific... The ATV is planned to be launched once a year, and at least 7 of them will be built in total. The Japanese automatic H-II "Transfer Vehicle" (HTV) truck will be connected to the ISS program, which is being launched into orbit by the Japanese H-IIB launch vehicle, which is still being developed. ... The total weight of the HTV will be 16.5 tons, of which 6 tons are the station's payload. It will be able to stay docked to the ISS for up to one month.
Obsolete shuttles will be removed from flights in 2010, and the new generation will appear no earlier than 2014-2015.
By 2010, the Russian manned Soyuz will be modernized: first of all, they will replace the electronic control and communication systems, which will increase the ship's payload by reducing the weight of the electronic equipment. The renewed Soyuz will be able to be part of the station for almost a year. The Russian side will build the Clipper spacecraft (according to the plan, the first test manned flight into orbit - 2014, commissioning - 2016). This six-seater reusable winged shuttle is conceived in two versions: with an aggregate and amenity compartment (ABO) or an engine compartment (DO). For the Clipper, which has ascended into space into a relatively low orbit, the interorbital tug Parom will arrive. "Ferry" - new development, designed to change over time the cargo "Progress". This tug is supposed to pull from a low reference orbit to the ISS orbit the so-called "containers", cargo "barrels" with a minimum of equipment (4-13 tons of cargo), launched into space using "Soyuz" or "Protons". Parom has two docking stations: one for the container, the other for docking to the ISS. After launching the container into orbit, the steam, due to its propulsion system, descends to it, docks with it and lifts it to the ISS. And after unloading the container, Parom lowers it into a lower orbit, where it undoes and brakes on its own to burn up in the atmosphere. The tug will have to wait for a new container to deliver it to the ISS.
RSC Energia official website: http://www.energia.ru/rus/iss/iss.html
Boeing Corporation official website: http://www.boeing.com
The official website of the flight control center: http://www.mcc.rsa.ru
Official website of the United States National Aerospace Agency (NASA): http://www.nasa.gov
The official website of the European Space Agency (ESA): http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html
Official website of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
Official site of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA): http://www.space.gc.ca/index.html
The official website of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB):
Most space flights are carried out not in circular, but in elliptical orbits, the height of which changes depending on the location above the Earth. The height of the so-called "low reference" orbit, from which most of the spacecraft "push off", is equal to about 200 kilometers above sea level. To be precise, the perigee of such an orbit is 193 kilometers, and the apogee is 220 kilometers. However, in the reference orbit there is a large number of debris left over half a century of space exploration, so modern spaceships, turning on their engines, move into a higher orbit. So, for example, the International Space Station ( ISS) in 2017 rotated at a height of the order of 417 kilometers, that is, twice the reference orbit.
The orbital altitude of most spacecraft depends on the mass of the spacecraft, its launch site and the power of its engines. For cosmonauts, it varies from 150 to 500 kilometers. For example, Yuri Gagarin flew in orbit with perigee at 175 km and an apogee of 320 km. The second Soviet cosmonaut German Titov flew in orbit with a perigee of 183 km and an apogee of 244 km. American shuttles flew in orbits height from 400 to 500 kilometers... Approximately the same height for all modern ships delivering people and cargo to the ISS.
Unlike manned spacecraft, which must return astronauts to Earth, artificial satellites fly in much higher orbits. The orbital altitude of a satellite in geostationary orbit can be calculated based on the mass and diameter of the Earth. As a result of simple physical calculations, you can find out that geostationary orbit altitude, that is, such that the satellite "hovers" over one point on the earth's surface, is equal to 35 786 kilometers... This is a very large distance from the Earth, so the signal exchange time with such a satellite can reach 0.5 seconds, which makes it unsuitable, for example, for servicing online games.
Today is March 6, 2019. Do you know what holiday is today?
Tell What is the altitude of the orbit of flight of astronauts and satellites friends on social networks:
Webcam on the International Space Station
If there is no picture, we suggest you watch NASA TV, it's interestingLive broadcasting by Ustream
Ibuki(Japanese い ぶ き Ibuki, Breath) - Earth remote sensing satellite, the world's first spacecraft, whose task is to monitor greenhouse gases. It is also known as The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, or GOSAT for short. Ibuki is equipped infrared sensors, which determine the density of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. A total of seven different scientific instruments are installed on the satellite. Ibuki was developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA and launched on January 23, 2009 from the Tanegashima cosmodrome. The launch was carried out using a Japanese H-IIA launch vehicle.
Video broadcast life on the space station includes the interior view of the module, in the case when the astronauts are on duty. The video is accompanied by a live sound of negotiations between the ISS and MCC. Television is only available when the ISS is in high-speed contact with the ground. When the signal is lost, viewers can see a test picture or a graphic map of the world, which shows the location of the station in orbit in real time. Due to the fact that the ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, sunrise or sunset occurs every 45 minutes. When the ISS is in the dark, the outer cameras can display blackness, but can also show a breathtaking view of the city lights below.
International space station, abbr. The ISS (International Space Station, abbreviated ISS) is a manned space station used as a multipurpose space research complex. The ISS is a joint international project in which 15 countries participate: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. The ISS is controlled by: the Russian segment - from Space flight control center in Korolev, American segment - from the mission control center in Houston. There is a daily exchange of information between the Centers.
Means of communication
Telemetry transmission and scientific data exchange between the station and the Mission Control Center is carried out using radio communication. In addition, radio communications are used during rendezvous and docking operations, they are used for audio and video communication between crew members and with flight control specialists on Earth, as well as relatives and friends of astronauts. Thus, the ISS is equipped with internal and external multipurpose communication systems.
The Russian segment of the ISS maintains communication with the Earth directly using the Lira radio antenna installed on the Zvezda module. Lira makes it possible to use the Luch satellite data relay system. This system was used to communicate with the Mir station, but in the 1990s it fell into disrepair and is currently not used. In 2012, Luch-5A was launched to restore the system's performance. At the beginning of 2013, it is planned to install specialized subscriber equipment on the Russian segment of the station, after which it will become one of the main subscribers of the Luch-5A satellite. It is also expected to launch 3 more satellites Luch-5B, Luch-5V and Luch-4.
Other Russian system communications, Voskhod-M, provides telephone communication between the Zvezda, Zarya, Pirs, Poisk modules and the American segment, as well as VHF radio communication with ground control centers, using external antennas of the Zvezda module ".
In the American segment, two separate systems are used for S-band (audio transmission) and Ku-band (audio, video, data transmission) communications, located on the Z1 truss. Radio signals from these systems are transmitted to the US geostationary satellites TDRSS, which allows for almost continuous contact with the mission control center in Houston. Data from Canadarm2, the European module Columbus and the Japanese Kibo are forwarded through these two communication systems, however American system TDRSS data transmissions will eventually complement the European satellite system(EDRS) and similar Japanese. Communication between the modules is carried out via an internal digital wireless network.
During spacewalks, astronauts use a UHF UHF transmitter. VHF radio communications are also used during docking or undocking by the Soyuz, Progress, HTV, ATV and Space Shuttle spacecraft (although the shuttles also use S- and Ku-band transmitters via TDRSS). With its help, these spaceships receive commands from the mission control center or from the ISS crew members. Unmanned spacecraft are equipped with their own communication facilities. Thus, ATV ships use a specialized Proximity Communication Equipment (PCE) system during rendezvous and docking, the equipment of which is located on the ATV and on the Zvezda module. Communication is carried out via two completely independent S-band radio channels. The PCE begins to function starting at relative ranges of about 30 kilometers, and turns off after the ATV is docked to the ISS and switched to interaction via the MIL-STD-1553 onboard bus. For precise definition the relative position of the ATV and ISS, a system of laser rangefinders installed on the ATV is used, making it possible to accurately dock with the station.
The station is equipped with approximately one hundred ThinkPad notebook computers from IBM and Lenovo, models A31 and T61P. These are ordinary serial computers, which, however, have been modified for use in the conditions of the ISS, in particular, they have redesigned connectors, a cooling system, taken into account the 28 Volt voltage used at the station, and also fulfilled the safety requirements for working in zero gravity. Since January 2010, direct Internet access has been organized at the station for the American segment. The computers on board the ISS are connected via Wi-Fi in wireless network and are connected to the Earth at a speed of 3 Mbps for uploads and 10 Mbps for downloading, which is comparable to a home ADSL connection.
Orbit altitude
The orbital altitude of the ISS is constantly changing. Due to the remnants of the atmosphere, there is a gradual deceleration and a decrease in altitude. All incoming ships help to raise the altitude using their engines. At one time, they were limited to compensation for the decline. V Lately the orbital altitude is steadily increasing. February 10, 2011 - The altitude of the International Space Station flight was about 353 kilometers above sea level. June 15, 2011 increased by 10.2 kilometers and amounted to 374.7 kilometers. On June 29, 2011, the orbit was 384.7 kilometers. In order to reduce the influence of the atmosphere to a minimum, the station had to be raised to 390-400 km, but American shuttles could not rise to such an altitude. Therefore, the station was held at altitudes of 330-350 km by means of periodic correction by the engines. Due to the end of the shuttle flight program, this restriction has been removed.
Timezone
The ISS uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), it is almost exactly equidistant from the times of the two control centers in Houston and Korolev. Every 16 sunrises / sunsets, the station's portholes are closed to create the illusion of darkening at night. The crew usually wakes up at 7 a.m. (UTC), the crew usually work around 10 hours every weekday and around 5 hours every Saturday. During shuttle visits, the ISS crew usually follows Mission Elapsed Time (MET) - the total flight time of the shuttle, which is not tied to a specific time zone, but is calculated solely from the start time of the space shuttle. The ISS crew pre-shifts its sleep time before the arrival of the shuttle and returns to the previous mode after its departure.
Atmosphere
The station maintains an atmosphere close to that of the Earth. Normal atmospheric pressure on the ISS is 101.3 kilopascals, the same as at sea level on Earth. The atmosphere on the ISS does not coincide with the atmosphere maintained in the shuttles; therefore, after docking the space shuttle, the pressure and composition of the gas mixture on both sides of the lock are equalized. From about 1999 to 2004, NASA existed and developed the IHM (Inflatable Habitation Module) project, in which it was planned to use the atmospheric pressure at the station to deploy and create the working volume of an additional habitable module. The body of this module was supposed to be made of Kevlar fabric with a sealed inner shell of gas-tight synthetic rubber. However, in 2005, due to the unresolvedness of most of the problems posed in the project (in particular, the problem of protection from space debris particles), the IHM program was closed.
Microgravity
The Earth's gravity at the station's orbital altitude is 90% of the gravity at sea level. The state of weightlessness is due to the constant free fall of the ISS, which, according to the principle of equivalence, is equivalent to the absence of attraction. The station environment is often described as microgravity due to four effects:
Residual atmosphere braking pressure.
Vibration accelerations due to the operation of mechanisms and the movement of the station crew.
Orbit correction.
The inhomogeneity of the Earth's gravitational field leads to the fact that different parts of the ISS are attracted to the Earth with different strengths.
All these factors create accelerations reaching values of 10-3 ... 10-1 g.
ISS surveillance
The dimensions of the station are sufficient for observing it with the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. ISS is observed as enough bright Star, rather quickly moving across the sky approximately from west to east (angular velocity of about 1 degree per second.) Depending on the point of observation, the maximum value of its stellar magnitude can take a value from? 4 to 0. European Space Agency, together with the website “ www.heavens-above.com ", provides an opportunity for everyone to find out the schedule of flights of the ISS over a certain settlement planets. By going to the site page dedicated to the ISS, and entering the name of the city of interest in Latin letters, you can get exact time and a graphical representation of the flight path of the station over it, for the coming days. Also the flight schedule can be viewed at www.amsat.org. The ISS flight trajectory in real time can be seen on the website of the Federal Space Agency. You can also use the Heavensat (or Orbitron) software.
April 12 is the day of cosmonautics. And of course, it would be wrong to bypass this holiday. Moreover, this year the date will be special, 50 years from the date of the first manned flight into space. It was on April 12, 1961 that Yuri Gagarin accomplished his historic feat.
Well, man cannot do without grandiose superstructures in space. This is exactly what the International Space Station is.
The dimensions of the ISS are small; length - 51 meters, width with trusses - 109 meters, height - 20 meters, weight - 417.3 tons. But I think everyone understands that the uniqueness of this superstructure is not in its size, but in the technologies used to operate the station in open space. The orbit of the ISS is 337-351 km above the ground. The orbital speed is 27,700 km / h. This allows the station to complete a revolution around our planet in 92 minutes. That is, every day the cosmonauts on the ISS meet 16 sunrises and sunsets, 16 times the night changes the day. Now the ISS crew consists of 6 people, and in general, over the entire period of operation, the station received 297 visitors (196 different people). The start of operation of the International Space Station is considered November 20, 1998. And on this moment(04/09/2011) the station has been in orbit for 4523 days. During this time, it has evolved quite strongly. I suggest you make sure of this by looking at the photo.
ISS, 1999.
ISS, 2000.
ISS, 2002.
ISS, 2005.
ISS, 2006.
ISS, 2009.
ISS, March 2011.
Below is a diagram of the station, from which you can find out the names of the modules and also see the places of the ISS docking with other spaceships.
The ISS is an international project. 23 states participate in it: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg (!!!), Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, USA, Finland, France, Czech Republic , Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. After all, not a single state can financially master the construction and maintenance of the functionality of the International Space Station alone. It is not possible to calculate the exact or even approximate costs for the construction and operation of the ISS. The official figure has already exceeded $ 100 billion, and if you add all the incidental costs here, you get about $ 150 billion. This is already being done by the International Space Station. the most expensive project throughout the history of mankind. And based on the latest agreements between Russia, the United States and Japan (Europe, Brazil and Canada are still in thought) that the ISS's service life has been extended at least until 2020 (and possibly further extension), the total costs of maintaining the station will increase even more.
But I propose to digress from the numbers. Indeed, in addition to scientific value, the ISS has other advantages. Namely, the opportunity to appreciate the pristine beauty of our planet from orbital altitude. And it is not at all necessary for this to go out into outer space.
Because the station has its own observation deck, a glazed module "Dome".