25 years of ISS

25 years of ISS

News: 20th November marked the 25th anniversary of the launch of the International Space Station (ISS), the largest man-made object in the solar system.

About ISS:
• The International Space Station (ISS), orbiting 430 kilometers above Earth, completes 16 orbits daily, witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets. The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes at 8 kilometers per second.
• Spanning 109 meters, it’s almost as long as an American football field.
• The ISS’s journey began on November 20, 1998, with Russia’s Zarya Control Module.
• The U.S. added the Unity Node 1 module on December 4, 1998, marking the start of a functional space lab.

Important activities and scientific contributions:
• Astronauts conduct unique experiments, leading to significant discoveries.
• Regular spacewalks are essential for station upgrades and repairs.
• Astronauts follow strict routines to combat muscle and bone loss in microgravity, providing valuable data for future space missions.
• Medical Advances: Research on the ISS has enhanced our understanding of diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
• Drug Development: Space research has expedited drug development processes.
• Technological Innovations: Innovations in water purification and food production have emerged from ISS experiments.

Challenges for ISS ahead
• The Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 casts doubt on the ISS’s future.
• Nations like Japan, China, and India are aiming for independent space capabilities.
• The US and Europe plan to support the ISS through 2030, with NASA focusing on lunar exploration and ESA developing the Starlab space station.