Exploring the Depths of Space: The Significance of the International Space Station

Every astronaut wishes to participate in a mission on the ISS. The International Space Station is the heaviest man-made object present in space. It is a spacecraft built by several space agencies like NASA, Russian Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, and Europe's ESA.

As the space race drew to a close in the early 1970s, the US and USSR began to contemplate various potential collaborations in outer space. This culminated in the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first docking of spacecraft from two different spacefaring nations. The ASTP was considered a success, and further joint missions were also contemplated.

This space station was launched on November 20, 1998 (24 years ago). It completes its revolution in 92.9 minutes. The primary objective of the ISS is to support scientific research and other activities requiring the unique attributes of humans in space. The length along the major axis of the pressurized sections is 218 ft (66m). The first ISS component was launched in 1998.

The ISS has been described as the most expensive single item ever constructed. And it also requires regular maintenance, which is very costly.

The ISS program combines two prior plans to construct crewed Earth-orbiting stations. The first long-term residents, Expedition 1, arrived on November 2, 2000. Since then, the station has been continuously occupied for 23 years and 166 days, the longest continuous human presence in space. As of March 2024, 279 individuals from 22 countries have visited the space station. The ISS is expected to have additional modules (such as the Axiom Orbital Segment) before being de-orbited by a dedicated NASA spacecraft in January 2031.

The ISS is used for the trials of spaceship equipment and systems that are needed for Mars and Moon missions. NASA predominantly uses the station to understand the effects of working and living in space. Such invaluable information will further demystify the conditions necessary for humans to survive on other planets. Not only this, it is also used to detect natural calamities. No doubt, ISS is the backbone of space exploration.