Why doesn't the space station fall to earth? Why don't satellites leave orbit? How much does an orbital station cost?

The ISS is the successor to the MIR station, the largest and most expensive object in the history of mankind.

What size is the orbital station? How much does it cost? How do astronauts live and work on it?

We will talk about this in this article.

What is the ISS and who owns it?

The International Space Station (MKS) is an orbital station used as a multi-purpose space facility.

This is a scientific project in which 14 countries take part:

Russian Federation;
USA;
France;
Germany;
Belgium;
Japan;
Canada;
Sweden;
Spain;
Netherlands;
Switzerland;
Denmark;
Norway;
Italy.

In 1998, the creation of the ISS began. Then the first module of the Russian Proton-K rocket was launched. Subsequently, other participating countries began delivering other modules to the station.

Note: In English, the ISS is written as ISS (deciphering: International Space Station).

There are people who are convinced that the ISS does not exist, and all space flights were filmed on Earth. However, the reality of the manned station was proven, and the theory of deception was completely refuted by scientists.

Structure and dimensions of the international space station

The ISS is a huge laboratory designed to study our planet. At the same time, the station is home to the astronauts working there.

The station is 109 meters long, 73.15 meters wide and 27.4 meters high. The total weight of the ISS is 417,289 kg.

How much does an orbital station cost?

The cost of the facility is estimated at $150 billion. This is by far the most expensive development in human history.

Orbital altitude and flight speed of the ISS

The average altitude at which the station is located is 384.7 km.

The speed is 27,700 km/h. The station completes a full revolution around the Earth in 92 minutes.

Time at the station and crew work schedule

The station operates on London time, the astronauts' working day begins at 6 am. At this time, each crew establishes contact with their country.

Crew reports can be listened to online. The working day ends at 19:00 London time .

Flight path

The station moves around the planet along a certain trajectory. There is a special map that shows which part of the route the ship is passing at a given time. This map also shows different parameters - time, speed, altitude, latitude and longitude.

Why doesn't the ISS fall to Earth? In fact, the object falls to the Earth, but misses because it is constantly moving at a certain speed. The trajectory needs to be raised regularly. As soon as the station loses some of its speed, it approaches closer and closer to the Earth.

What is the temperature outside the ISS?

The temperature is constantly changing and directly depends on the light and shadow situation. In the shade it stays at about -150 degrees Celsius.

If the station is located under the influence of direct sunlight, then the temperature outside is +150 degrees Celsius.

Temperature inside the station

Despite fluctuations overboard, the average temperature inside the ship is 23 - 27 degrees Celsius and is completely suitable for human habitation.

Astronauts sleep, eat, play sports, work and rest at the end of the working day - conditions are close to the most comfortable for being on the ISS.

What do astronauts breathe on the ISS?

The primary task in creating the spacecraft was to provide the astronauts with the conditions necessary to maintain proper breathing. Oxygen is obtained from water.

A special system called “Air” takes carbon dioxide and throws it overboard. Oxygen is replenished through electrolysis of water. There are also oxygen cylinders at the station.

How long does it take to fly from the cosmodrome to the ISS?

The flight takes just over 2 days. There is also a short 6-hour scheme (but it is not suitable for cargo ships).

The distance from Earth to the ISS ranges from 413 to 429 kilometers.

Life on the ISS - what astronauts do

Each crew conducts scientific experiments commissioned from the research institute of their country.

There are several types of such studies:

educational;
technical;
environmental;
biotechnology;
medical and biological;
study of living and working conditions in orbit;
exploration of space and planet Earth;
physical and chemical processes in space;
exploration of the solar system and others.

Who's on the ISS now?

Currently, the following personnel continue to remain on watch in orbit: Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev, Serena Auñon-Chancellor from the USA and Alexander Gerst from Germany.

The next launch was planned from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 11, but due to the accident, the flight did not take place. At the moment, it is not yet known which astronauts will fly to the ISS and when.

How to contact the ISS

In fact, anyone has a chance to communicate with the international space station. To do this you will need special equipment:

transceiver;
antenna (for frequency range 145 MHz);
rotating device;
a computer that will calculate the ISS orbit.

Today, every astronaut has high-speed Internet. Most specialists communicate with friends and family via Skype, maintain personal pages on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, where they post stunningly beautiful photographs of our green planet.

How many times does the ISS orbit the Earth per day?

The speed of rotation of the ship around our planet is 16 times a day. This means that in one day, astronauts can see the sunrise 16 times and watch the sunset 16 times.

The rotation speed of the ISS is 27,700 km/h. This speed prevents the station from falling to Earth.

Where is the ISS currently located and how to see it from Earth

Many people are interested in the question: is it really possible to see a ship with the naked eye? Thanks to its constant orbit and large size, anyone can see the ISS.

You can see a ship in the sky both day and night, but it is recommended to do this at night.

In order to find out the flight time over your city, you need to subscribe to NASA's newsletter. You can monitor the movement of the station in real time thanks to the special Twisst service.

Conclusion

If you see a bright object in the sky, it is not always a meteorite, comet or star. Knowing how to distinguish the ISS with the naked eye, you will definitely not be mistaken in the celestial body.

You can find out more about the ISS news and watch the movement of the object on the official website: http://mks-online.ru.

One of humanity's greatest assets is the International Space Station, or ISS. Several states united to create it and operate it in orbit: Russia, some European countries, Canada, Japan and the USA. This apparatus shows that much can be achieved if countries constantly cooperate. Everyone on the planet knows about this station and many people ask questions about at what altitude the ISS flies and in what orbit. How many astronauts have been there? Is it true that tourists are allowed there? And this is not all that is interesting to humanity.

Station structure

The ISS consists of fourteen modules, which house laboratories, warehouses, rest rooms, bedrooms, and utility rooms. The station even has a gym with exercise equipment. This entire complex runs on solar panels. They are huge, the size of a stadium.

Facts about the ISS

During its operation, the station aroused a lot of admiration. This apparatus is the greatest achievement of human minds. In its design, purpose and features, it can be called perfection. Of course, maybe in 100 years they will start building spaceships of a different type on Earth, but for now, today, this device is the property of humanity. This is evidenced by the following facts about the ISS:

During its existence, about two hundred astronauts visited the ISS. There were also tourists here who simply came to look at the Universe from orbital heights.
The station is visible from Earth with the naked eye. This structure is the largest among artificial satellites and can be easily seen from the surface of the planet without any magnifying device. There are maps on which you can see what time and when the device flies over cities. Using them you can easily find information about your locality: see the flight schedule over the region.
To assemble the station and maintain it in working order, the astronauts went into outer space more than 150 times, spending about a thousand hours there.
The device is controlled by six astronauts. The life support system ensures the continuous presence of people at the station from the moment it was first launched.
The International Space Station is a unique place where a wide variety of laboratory experiments are conducted. Scientists make unique discoveries in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry and physics, physiology and meteorological observations, as well as in other fields of science.
The device uses giant solar panels the size of a football field with its end zones. Their weight is almost three hundred thousand kilograms.
The batteries are capable of fully ensuring the operation of the station. Their work is carefully monitored.
The station has a mini-house equipped with two bathrooms and a gym.
The flight is monitored from Earth. Programs consisting of millions of lines of code have been developed for control.

Astronauts

Since December 2017, the ISS crew consists of the following astronomers and cosmonauts:

Anton Shkaplerov - commander of ISS-55. He visited the station twice - in 2011-2012 and in 2014-2015. During 2 flights he lived at the station for 364 days.
Skeet Tingle - flight engineer, NASA astronaut. This astronaut has no space flight experience.
Norishige Kanai - flight engineer, Japanese astronaut.
Alexander Misurkin. Its first flight was made in 2013, lasting 166 days.
Macr Vande Hai has no flying experience.
Joseph Akaba. The first flight was made in 2009 as part of Discovery, and the second flight was carried out in 2012.

Earth from space

There are unique views of Earth from space. This is evidenced by photographs and videos of astronauts and cosmonauts. You can see the work of the station and space landscapes if you watch online broadcasts from the ISS station. However, some cameras are turned off due to maintenance work.

The distance from the Earth to the ISS is a variable figure, the value of which is constantly changing. The height at which the space station flies from the Earth may seem insignificant when you consider the distances that separate near and deep space from the planet. However, the distance from our planet to the ISS station is not a random variable. It was chosen taking into account individual circumstances, expediency, savings and costs, and the characteristics of the Earth’s atmosphere, which can slow down orbital movement, were also taken into account.

International Space Station

What is a space station

To understand why exactly this distance to the ISS from Earth in kilometers was chosen during its creation, you need to know a little about the history of the project. The ISS, or International Space Station, is a joint multi-purpose endeavor with the participation of 14 world states - the Russian Federation, the American continent (USA and Canada), Japan, Scandinavian countries, European countries - France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany.

England and Brazil, which announced support for the startup at the beginning of the project, subsequently abandoned it. Here are some facts from the history of the ISS:

The Mir station was originally called Freedom and was planned to be created through the joint efforts and investments of Western countries.
After R. Reagan pompously proclaimed the opening of a new multi-purpose project, the result of which was to become a manned orbital station, it turned out that the participating countries did not have enough funds for its development and implementation. Therefore, Russia was asked to work towards its creation. This was a decision made not only on the basis of financial shortfalls, but also on practical grounds.
The Americans had no experience in transporting what was needed and delivering the modules that the shuttles were supposed to handle. This was also due to the technical characteristics of the shuttles and the ability to cover the distance from Earth to the space station (ISS). The problem was the impossibility of overcoming the distance barrier to the ISS orbit.
The successor of the Soviet Union and the owner of numerous achievements of that period in the exploration of outer space had such experience. The Salyut and Mir stations, numerous plans for the implementation of the Mir-2 project, suspended due to declared financial difficulties - all this could have provided significant assistance in the pompous undertaking.

4 years after the conclusion of the cooperation agreement, after overcoming numerous bureaucratic obstacles and outright hostility towards the Russian side, the space project was finally accepted by both parties.

The configuration of the new joint project was supposed to be executed in the form of two segments - American and made by Russia.

Moreover, the latter was proposed for independent implementation, while the American one was attended by the Japanese, Canadians, Spaniards and Belgians, Scandinavian countries, and Brazil.

View of the planet

Stages of creating the ISS: event table

The colossal orbital complex was created taking into account several significant points: the limited funds allocated by some Western countries and constant changes in their plans, which were sometimes introduced for purely political reasons.

Read also: How can you determine the distance to stars: measurements using a formula in astronomy

This was a clear demonstration of the desire of people of science to work on joint space exploration in the interests of all mankind and the ambitions of politicians, for whom these ambitions were more important, and confrontation turned out to be beneficial. In general, the station was created through mutual efforts, but this is more clearly demonstrated in the table below.

Year	RF	USA
1998	The launch base element of the ISS was launched into orbit (Proton-K, a Russian rocket delivered by the Zarya FGB)	The Unity module was successfully transported by the shuttle
2000	The Zvezda module was successfully reunited with Zarya, and the Soyuz TM-31 TPK arrived on board the ISS for the crews of phased expeditions	-
2001	-	Destiny module delivered by shuttle Atlantis
2003	Delivery of necessary cargo by Russian Progress TGCs to the ISS	The Columbia disaster occurred, which made it impossible to deliver cargo to supply the US segment
2005	-	Discovery successfully launched and flights to the ISS resumed
2006	-	The cosmonaut was delivered from Germany, and the equipment was transported
2007	-	The Harmony module was docked to Unity for the first time
2008	-	The Columbus modules from ESA and Kibo from Japan appeared
2009	"Soyuz TMA-14" and "Soyuz TMA-15" delivered 2 crews to the ISS, the Poisk module was also docked - a berth for Russian ships and scientific work	-
2010	IM "Rassvet" docked to the ISS	-

In 2016, the International Space Station orbited the planet 100,000 times.

Russia plans to replace one of the modules with Pirs, delivering 2 modules and then 2 more NEVs, although there have been statements about the termination of Russian participation in the development of the project. The ISS is planned to remain in Earth orbit until 2024, and then be sunk in Pacific waters.

At what altitude does the ISS fly?

The distance to the ISS in kilometers announced for the first time does not inspire enthusiasm among supporters of the systematic exploration of the Universe and readers of science fiction novels who habitually operate with the concepts of “light year” and “parsec”.

This is an unstable value that changes depending on circumstances. It is not possible to unequivocally answer at what distance the ISS is from the Earth. But at the same time, this figure fluctuates within certain limits.

Maximum removal

The creators of the project are confident that this distance is quite enough for conducting scientific experiments by researchers constantly present in outer space. They motivate this by the following factors:

Conditions of weightlessness, spatial horizon, absence of atmospheric interference, and even a sign that a person is in space - these are bonuses for which the declared distance is quite enough. The lack of necessary funding or the simple limitation of allocated funds also determine the limits to which it is possible to launch a station that will be permanently in orbit. After all, transport modules must constantly fly there in order to ensure its activities and the existence of people on board, as well as to deliver the necessary equipment for scientific experiments.
Saving on construction, reducing the distance to the earth's surface in a project aimed at the benefit of all mankind, seems absurd to dreamers, but quite reasonable to politicians who allocate much more money for other purposes.
Russia could change the orbit and increase the distance from Earth to the Mir station - there is developments, experience and technical capabilities for this. But the original reason why this particular distance was chosen lies in the technical capabilities of the American shuttles, which could not rise above 353 km. The minimum distance of 340 kilometers from the Earth was chosen due to the fact that this is practically the maximum possible distance for US modules. In 2011 it was 353 km, but after three years their TMs could be closer to 417 km. However, it was decided not to change the flight altitude in orbit, since calculations for it were carried out in advance.

Satellites

The flight takes place at an altitude of 340 to 400 km. These are the numbers that correspond to the minimum and maximum distances from the Earth’s surface, despite the fact that particles of the rarefied earth’s atmosphere are still present here, slowing down the flight of the orbital station.

Read also: What is the distance from Earth to space: km from the open surface

You can watch video online from the ISS; a specially installed external camera broadcasts continuously. Those who are interested can see what the Sun looks like in an almost atmosphere-free space, as well as observe the stars and the Earth’s satellite.

Without resorting to a camera, you can see the station from the surface of the planet. For this purpose, there are special links on the World Information Network indicating the time of passage over the earth's segments.

Working day on the ISS

But this can only be done with a clear sky and at night, and even without proper experience, finding a luminous point in the sky will be somewhat difficult. And numerous photos posted in the media will not convey the charm of space and its rather dangerous atmosphere for humans.

Although doing them at such a distance is already a great achievement. And it became possible only thanks to talented people who managed to develop equipment that can operate flawlessly at an altitude of 340–400 kilometers from the Earth.

Models of transport ships

Watch a video on this topic.

Reasons for changing distances

The question of how many kilometers the distance from the Earth to the ISS is at a given specific period of time can only be answered with an arithmetic mean. This is 370 kilometers. The maximum that the orbital station reaches is 400 km, the minimum is 340, and the average distance is 370 km.

Space researchers note that changing the distance must be carried out periodically, because at a minimum the station is slowed down by the influence of the earth's atmosphere.

If it were permanently at an altitude of four hundred kilometers, such braking would be practically absent. But the ISS was designed taking into account the delivery vehicles existing at that time.

Planetary orbits

A lot has changed since then:

the power and technical equipment of new space shuttles and modules have increased, so it is no coincidence that the ISS is going to be removed from orbit in 2024, and Russia is refusing to participate in the project 4 years earlier;
This also happens for the simple reason that such a range is not open space. The ISS flies in the thermosphere, and besides it there is also an exosphere, which begins at a distance of 690 km;
a manned object cannot fly lower than 200 km, because there it is strongly slowed down by the air, but above 500 it is also unlikely, because human crews will be greatly affected by radiation.

We are talking about the fact that any object located in close proximity to the Earth is affected by its gravitational force. And if so, then it cannot stay in its orbit for a long time, and will definitely fall to the surface if it does not burn up in the upper layers of the atmosphere before that. The same fate, in theory, should befall the ISS, which is located 400 kilometers from the surface of the planet. But even such a considerable distance cannot relieve the space station from the force of earth's gravity. But then how does it stay in a stationary orbit for such a long time?

Let's first figure out what the international space station is. This is a complex modular design, weighing 400 tons. If we talk about its size, it is approximately the same as an American football field. It took 13 years to assemble such a structure. During this time, a huge amount of work was carried out, which includes: numerous launches of Progress space cargo ships, American Shuttles, and astronauts going into outer space. The International Space Station currently costs more than $150 billion. There are six cosmonauts constantly at the station, who are representatives of different countries of the world.

But let's return to our original question and try to figure out why the station, under the influence of gravity, does not fall to the surface of the Earth.

In fact, it is slowly falling. During the year, its decline reaches two kilometers. And if it weren’t for the orbit adjustment, we would have said goodbye to it long ago. It is timely adjustments that allow the ISS to remain in a stationary orbit. You won’t believe it, but such a complex and heavy design has the highest mobility. It can change orbital parameters, move in all directions, and even turn over if necessary, in order, for example, to dodge various space objects, which include space debris.

All movements are carried out using special engines called gyrodins. There are four of them at the station. To orient the station or adjust its orbit, a command is received from the Earth to launch them, after which the station begins its movement. A special operator is responsible for such a responsible operation. His responsibility includes not only timely adjustment of the ISS orbit, but also ensuring its safety, in order to prevent collisions with meteorites and space debris. Similar boosters and engines are available on the Progress cargo spacecraft that dock with the ISS. With their help you can also correct its orbit.

The operator also monitors the weight of the station. Without this, it is impossible to accurately calculate the thrust of herodins, which should not be less than 1 m/second. The mass of the station is constantly changing. As a rule, this happens at the moment of docking of the next Progress cargo ship, which delivers payload on board. Cosmonauts do not take any part in the process of planned station relocation. Everything is controlled by an operator from Earth.

The constant fall of the ISS actually explains why the crew on board is in weightlessness, despite the fact that gravity is present inside the station. Since the rate of fall of the ISS is compensated, the astronauts, while inside the station, actually do not move anywhere. They just float. Nevertheless, the ISS still descends from time to time, approaching the Earth. To compensate for this, the station's control center adjusts its orbit by briefly firing the engines and bringing it back to its previous altitude.

On the ISS the Sun rises every 90 minutes

Sunrise on the ISS.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes. Thanks to this, her crew watches the sunrise every 90 minutes. Every day, people on board the ISS see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets. Cosmonauts who spend 342 days at the station manage to see 5,472 sunrises and 5,472 sunsets. During the same time, a person on Earth will see only 342 sunrises and 342 sunsets.

It should be understood that the ISS crew does not need a daily change of clothes, as we do on Earth. Aside from physical exercise (which we'll talk about below), astronauts on the ISS don't have to exert much effort in microgravity. The body temperature on the ISS is also monitored. All this allows people to wear the same clothes for up to four days before they decide to change them.

Russia occasionally launches unmanned spacecraft to deliver new supplies to the ISS. These ships can only fly one way and cannot return back to Earth (at least in one piece). Once they dock with the ISS, the station crew unloads the delivered supplies and then fills the empty spacecraft with various trash, waste and dirty clothes. Then the device undocks and falls to Earth. The ship itself and everything on board burns in the sky over the Pacific Ocean.

The ISS crew is busy

Training in orbit.

The crew of the International Space Station is almost constantly losing bone and muscle mass. , they lose about two percent of the mineral reserves in the bones of the limbs. It doesn't sound like a lot, but this number is growing quickly. A typical mission to the ISS can take up to 6 months. As a result, some crew members may lose up to 1/4 of the bone mass in some parts of their skeleton.

Space agencies are trying to find a way to reduce these losses by forcing crews to exercise for two hours each day. Despite this, astronauts still lose muscle and bone mass. Because virtually every astronaut regularly sent to the ISS trains, space agencies do not have control groups with which to measure the effectiveness of such training.

The simulators on the orbital station are also different from those we are used to using on Earth. The difference in gravity dictates the need to use only special exercise equipment.

Use of the toilet depends on the nationality of the crew

Toilet in orbit is not an easy task.

During the early days of the International Space Station, astronauts and cosmonauts used and shared the same equipment, apparatus, food and even toilets. Things started to change around 2003, after Russia began demanding payment from other countries for their astronauts to use their equipment. In turn, other countries began to demand payment from Russia for the fact that its cosmonauts use their equipment.

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The situation escalated in 2005, when Russia began taking money from NASA to transport American astronauts to the ISS. In return, the United States prohibited Russian astronauts from using American equipment, equipment and toilets.

Russia may shut down the ISS program

Russia does not have the ability to directly ban the United States or any other country that participated in the creation of the ISS from using the station. However, it can block access to the station indirectly. As mentioned above, America needs Russia in order to deliver its astronauts to the ISS. In 2014, Dmitry Rogozin hinted that, starting in 2020, Russia plans to spend the money and resources allocated to the space program on other projects. The United States, in turn, wants to continue on the ISS at least until 2024.

If Russia reduces or even ceases its use of the ISS by 2020, this will pose a serious problem for American astronauts, as their access to the ISS will be limited or even denied. Rogozin added that Russia could fly to the ISS without the United States; the United States, in turn, does not have such a luxury.

The American aerospace agency NASA is actively working with commercial space companies on the transportation and return of American astronauts from the ISS. At the same time, NASA can always use the trampolines that Rogozin mentioned earlier.

There are weapons on board the ISS

There are weapons behind these walls.

Typically there are one or two pistols aboard the International Space Station. They belong to the astronauts, but are stored in a “survival kit” that everyone on the station has access to. Each pistol has three barrels and , rifle cartridges, and shotgun cartridges. They also come with folding elements that can be used as a shovel or knife.

It is unclear why astronauts would store such multifunctional pistols on board the ISS. Not really fighting off aliens? However, it is known for certain that in 1965, some astronauts had to deal with aggressive wild bears who decided to taste the people returning from space to Earth. It is quite possible that the station has weapons just for such cases.

Chinese taikunauts are denied access to the ISS

There are no Chinese on the ISS

Chinese taikunauts are prohibited from visiting the International Space Station due to US sanctions imposed on China. In 2011, the US Congress banned any cooperation on space programs between the US and China.

The ban was prompted by concerns that China's space program was being pursued behind the scenes for militaristic purposes. The United States, in turn, does not want to help the Chinese military and engineers in any way, so the ISS is prohibited for China.

According to Time, this is a very unwise solution to the issue. The American government needs to understand that a ban on China's use of the ISS, as well as a ban on any cooperation between the United States and China on the development of space programs, will not stop the latter from developing its own space program. China has already sent its tykunauts into space, as well as robots to the moon. In addition, the Celestial Empire plans to build a new space station, as well as send its rover to Mars.