The International Space Station is the largest man made object in space. It was built in pieces and then launched into space and assembled in orbit. In this video we’ll go over some background about the station and then walk through each module in the order that it was assembled.This animation took a long time to make – enjoy and please share your comments with me!
source/image(PrtSc): Jared Owen
The space station is made of parts that were assembled in space by astronauts. It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes. NASA is using the space station to learn more about living and working in space. These lessons will make it possible to send humans farther into space than ever before.
The space station has the volume of a five-bedroom house or two Boeing 747 jetliners. It is able to support a crew of six people, plus visitors. On Earth, the space station would weigh almost a million pounds. In addition to the laboratories where astronauts conduct science research, the space station has many other parts. The first Russian modules included basic systems needed for the space station to function.
Advertisement
They also provided living areas for crew members. Modules called “nodes” connect parts of the station to each other.Stretching out to the sides of the space station are the solar arrays. These arrays collect energy from the sun to provide electrical power. The arrays are connected to the station with a long truss. On the truss are radiators that control the space station’s temperature.Robotic arms are mounted outside the space station. The robot arms were used to help build the space station.