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International Space Station

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The International Space Station viewed from the SpaceX Crew Dragon during a flyaround mission in November 2021.

The International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is a special home for astronauts that flies around our planet. It is like a big house in space where people from many countries come together to live and work. The ISS is the largest human-made object in space and can be seen from Earth as a bright moving dot in the night sky.

The ISS orbits Earth at a very fast speed—about 17,200 miles per hour—and completes a full trip around our planet every 93 minutes. Inside the station, astronauts do many interesting experiments to learn about living and working in space. They study how plants grow, how the human body changes, and much more. People have lived on the ISS since November 2, 2000, making it the place where humans have spent the most time continuously in space.

The station has many parts, including special rooms for the crew to live, work, and do research. It also has big solar panels that give it power and help it stay cool. The ISS shows how countries can work together to achieve amazing things in space. In the future, some parts of the ISS may be used for new space stations, and scientists are planning to keep using it until at least the end of 2030.

The ISS is a symbol of teamwork and science. It has been featured in many movies, TV shows, and books, and it even appeared in video games! Astronauts enjoy their time on the ISS, where they can look at Earth through big windows, grow their own vegetables, and stay connected with their families back home. The ISS helps us learn about space and prepares us for future trips to the Moon and Mars.

Images

Astronaut Dan Burbank captured Comet Lovejoy glowing near Earth's horizon from the International Space Station in 2011.
An artist's illustration of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft preparing to dock during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, a historic joint space mission between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Astronaut Michael Foale checks equipment in the International Space Station's laboratory.
Astronauts view of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour during a spacewalk mission.
Scientists launching small satellites called CubeSats from the International Space Station to study Earth and test new technology.
Astronauts Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines study plant growth in space using special soilless methods that could help grow food for future space missions and improve farming on Earth.
Scientists compare how flames burn differently on Earth versus in space, showing how gravity affects fire shape.
Astronauts pose for a photo inside the Jules Verne spacecraft with a historic Jules Verne manuscript nearby.
A diagram illustrating international agreements related to the International Space Station program.
Inside a space station processing facility, workers move the Node 2 module, a key connecting point for the International Space Station.
Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this amazing view of the International Space Station floating in the darkness of space.
The International Space Station floating in space after separating from the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2010.
Animation showing how the International Space Station was built by astronauts over many years.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on International Space Station, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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