Facts about The ISS
What is the length of the ISS?
The ISS is 356 feet (109 meters) long and is about the length of an American football field.
How many modules is the ISS made of?
The ISS is made of 16 pressurized modules.
What is the average time that astronauts live on the ISS before returning to Earth.
Astronauts usually stay on the ISS for about 6 months before returning to Earth.
Explain microgravity.
Microgravity is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless.
About how many experiments have been done on the ISS?
There have been about 3000 experiments conducted on the ISS.
How long does it take for the ISS to fully rotate around the Earth?
The ISS travels around the Earth every 92 minutes at about 5 miles per second.
Name the part of the ISS that connects the solar arrays to the station.
The solar arrays are connected to the station with a long truss.
How many people are usually on the ISS at a time?
There are generally 6 astronauts on the station at a time.
How long do astronauts work out on the ISS every week?
Astronauts work out six out of seven days for 2.5 hours each day.
Name a subject that is being studied at the ISS.
Some subjects that are currently being studied are muscle atrophy, bone loss, and fluid shift.
What is an orbit around earth with an altitude just above Earth's surface called?
This is called Low Orbit.
How many modules out of the sixteen are Russian?
There are six Russian modules: Zarya, Pirs, Zvezda, Poisk, Rassvet, and Nauka.
What happens to an astronaut's body after being in space for a long period of time?
Astronauts lose their bone mineral density, causing the astronauts’ weakened bones to be fragile and at an increased risk of fractures when back on Earth.
What is the reason to why many astronauts have reported to only need about 6 hours of sleep.
According to the Canadian Space Agency, “Some specialists believe that this is because the body tires less quickly in weightlessness: the muscles don't have to work as hard as on Earth.”
List one of the fields of research done on the ISS.
The primary fields of research done on the ISS are human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.
When was the ISS built?
The first piece of the International Space Station was launched in November 1998. It took over a decade and more than 30 missions to finish assembling.
Which part of the ISS has deployed, captured and repaired satellites, positioned astronauts, maintained equipment, and moved cargo?
The Canadarm is a robotic arm that has deployed, captured and repaired satellites, positioned astronauts, maintained equipment, and moved cargo.
What is the cause of astronauts growing taller in space?
Microgravity causes an increase in height for astronauts in space. The increase is due to the lack of compressive forces in gravity in space.
Give a rough explanation on how astronauts go to the bathroom on the ISS.
“The astronauts have to position themselves on the toilet seat using leg restraints. The toilet basically works like a vacuum cleaner with fans that suck air and waste into the commode. Each astronaut has a personal urinal funnel that has to be attached to the hose's adapter. Fans suck air and urine through the funnel and the hose into the wastewater tank.”(NASA)
What are the benefits of researching protein crystals in space?
Determining protein structures in space can help researchers inform and improve drug development. It allows researchers to better image and identify structural details of the proteins, which helps scientists better understand protein-drug interactions.
Name 3 countries that contribute to the ISS.
The main countries that participate in the ISS are Canada, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United States, and the 11 Member Nations of the European Space Agency (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
Bonus: Name a country that is not a part of the ISS?
China is not an ISS partner, and no Chinese nationals have been aboard.
Bonus: Name one Canadian astronaut that IS NOT CHRIS HADFIELD.
Jeremy Hansen, Joshua Kutryk, Jennifer Sidey, and David Saint-Jacques are the four astronauts who are on active service. Former Canadian astronauts are Roberta Lynn Bondar, Marc Garneau, Steve MacLean, Michael McKay, Ken Money, Julie Payette, Robert Thirsk, Bjarni Tryggvason and Dave Williams (and Chris Hadfield).
Bonus (not on the video): What language do all astronauts have to learn to be on the ISS?
Russian: All astronauts must learn Russian since the station has modules and operations in Russian.
What is combustion and how is it different in space?
Combustion, or burning, is a chemical process or a reaction between Fuel (Hydrocarbon) and Oxygen. Not only do flames in space burns at lower temperatures, with the absence of the upward flow of hot air, fires in space are dome-shaped or spherical due to the lack of oxygen flow.