27 Insane Facts About International Space Station You Didn't Know

27 Insane Facts About International Space Station You Didn't Know

In 2021 on the International Space Station thrusters suddenly fired as a result of a “software glitch”. It flipped backward about 540 degrees. A NASA flight director did something he’d never done before. He declared a “spacecraft emergency.” We’ll come back to how things went down. But first…

Facts About International Space Station: #1

We’ll give you some hard facts before we get into the stranger things about the International Space Station, which from now on we’ll call by its abbreviated name, ISS. The first bit launched on November 20, 1998. That was the Russian module called Zarya.

Then came the US module, Unity. The space station is made up of several different modules, all serving a purpose that we’ll get into today. All you need to know is that it’s kind of like high-tech space Lego, with different countries all doing their part to build it, take care of it, and use it. Those countries are Russia, the US, Canada, Japan, a various countries involved belong to the European Space Agency. In 2011, NASA said it was completed. It became the first truly international space station.

Facts About International Space Station: #2 & 3

All these parts make the ISS 357 feet in length, about 108 meters. That’s about the length of a football pitch, American football that is, although a soccer pitch is a similar size.

That great heap of a thing is currently orbiting around the Earth about 250 miles (400km) away. It’s moving pretty fast, too, at around 17,500 mph (28,163 kph). At that speed, it can orbit the Earth every 90 minutes. Ok, but can you see it from down here?

Facts About International Space Station: #4

 you can, as long as you have clear skies. There are thousands of places on Earth from where you can easily spot the ISS. It’s the third brightest object in the sky, so it’s no big deal to get a glimpse. If you want to know where to look and when, NASA has a website called “spot the station.” NASA says it looks like a bright, fast-moving plane. Don’t get too excited. No sooner than you see it, it’s gone.

Facts About International Space Station: #5

Folks didn’t live in the ISS at the start. Astronauts first went up there on November 2, 2000. They were two Russian dudes, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, and one American dude, Bill Shepherd. After they laid down the “Home Sweet Home” doormat, the ISS has had people on it ever since. As for what they first did, it involved a lot of unpacking and assembling of critical things. They spent about four months in total unpacking and assembling, which could probably have earned them a fortune if they had their own unboxing YouTube channel. Let’s now talk about life on the ISS, which is not always a bed of roses.

Facts About International Space Station: #6

The last thing anyone needs up in space is everyone getting sick. It doesn’t often happen, for various reasons. Before astronauts go up there, they have to quarantine down here on Earth. That is sometimes called the “Crew Health Stabilization Program.” It can suck for the astronauts because they are in a kind of comfortable jail for two weeks. NASA said this before the last flight to the ISS: “All of our crew must stay in quarantine for two weeks before they launch.

This ensures that they aren’t sick or incubating an illness when they get to the space station and is called ‘health stabilization.” In quarantine, astronauts generally read a lot, exercise, and spend time using devices to have video chats with their families and friends. If they do come into contact with anyone, those people have to get the green light from NASA flight surgeons. That’s all good, but has anyone been sick on the ISS?

Facts About International Space Station: #7

 Astronauts have been known to get colds, respiratory infections, skin infections, and sometimes urinary tract infections. But how to deal with that up in space?

Facts About International Space Station: #8

There might not be a doctor on the ISS, but all the astronauts will have had some basic medical training and there are also basic medical supplies. Infections are generally just treated with antibiotics, so they aren’t usually a problem. The bad news is bacterial infections are more deadly in space because of micro gravity. Antibiotics don’t work as well up there, either. The good news is NASA has a bunch of medical experts down below who often talk to the astronauts about bruises, cuts, and if need be, a burning sensation when peeing.

Also, there might be a crew surgeon up there. One former surgeon was asked what would happen if someone got a urinary tract infection on the ISS. He said, “A crew member with an URI would be isolated in their sleep quarter while symptomatic, and wear a mask for containment, have cultures done to identify the organism for appropriate treatment.” We guess you now want to know where all the pee and poop go?

Facts About International Space Station: #9

Facts About International Space Station: #10

Water is heavy, right? You also need a lot of it for a bunch of astronauts over a period of months. That is why pee gets recycled up there. There’s a saying on the ISS which goes, “Today’s coffee is tomorrow’s coffee!” Poop is a different beast, of course. Some of the poop might go back down to Earth to be tested, but seeing as the average astronaut will produce about 180 pounds (82 kilograms) in one year, you just can’t bring all that poop home.

Most of it goes into waste canisters, and when cargo ships are coming back, they let the canisters go. They are burned up during the reentry. If you had a telescope, maybe you could see this in action, although we doubt anyone has ever seen a meteorite.

Facts About International Space Station: #11

There are two bathrooms on the ISS. In 2009, one of them broke down and a queue formed. Everyone had to pee over in the Russian module after that.

Facts About International Space Station: #12

There is also one gym and six places for sleeping astronauts. The ISS is designed to hold six people, although more people have stayed on it. When astronauts are not working, they spend at least two hours exercising. Remember that with zero-gravity, they are not using their muscles much. Over time, that could be bad for the astronaut, so they have to be strict about their exercise routine. How do they do that, you might now want to know.

Facts About International Space Station: #13

Here’s the text in bullet-point format:

•  Astronauts need machines for exercise in space.
• Current equipment includes a bicycle, a treadmill, and the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED).
• These machines provide a full-body workout, ensuring astronauts don’t skip leg days.
• In zero-gravity, lifting weights is easy, but ARED is designed to simulate real-world exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
• The treadmill requires astronauts to be strapped to it with cords.
•  The bicycle is used similarly, with astronauts held in place while they ride.

Facts About International Space Station: #14

The longest time in space by a US astronaut is 342 consecutive days by Scott Kelly. The Russian astronaut, Valeri Polyakov, spent 438 consecutive days back in the day on the Russian Mir space station.

Facts About International Space Station: #15

From 2019, NASA astronauts will be ferried to the ISS by the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeings CST-100 spacecraft instead of the aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Facts About International Space Station: #16

In total, 244 astronauts, cosmonauts, and space tourists have been on the ISS.

Facts About International Space Station: #17

There isn’t really any difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut. The former word comes from the Greek, star sailor, and the latter word from the Greek, universe sailor. Cosmonauts are trained in Russia and astronauts elsewhere.

Facts About International Space Station: #18

In 2001, US entrepreneur Dennis Tito became the first space tourist on the ISS. He spent almost eight days up there for the cost of around $20 million. When asked about the experience, he said, “The pencils started floating in the air, and I could see the blackness of space and the curvature of the earth. I was euphoric. I mean, it was the greatest moment of my life, to achieve a life objective, and I knew then that nothing could ever beat this.”

Facts About International Space Station: #19

The space station weighs in the region of 420,000 kg. That’s about the weight of 320 cars or 70 large African elephants.

Facts About International Space Station: #20

US astronaut Peggy Whit son holds the US record for most days in space, although not consecutive days. In 2017, that record was 665 days. The top eight places all go to Russians, with Genna Padalka coming top with 878 days under his space belt.

Facts About International Space Station: #21

The outside of the ISS needs to be fixed and added to, and upgraded. That’s why there have been 241 spacewalks in total.

Facts About International Space Station: #22

They can be dangerous, but so far, no one has ever died. Still, listen to this next story.

Facts About International Space Station: #23

An Italian astronaut named Luca Parmigiano almost drowned in space when he went on a spacewalk in 2013. His helmet went capt, the ventilation system failed, and so water started filling inside. This is how he explained it, “It completely covered my eyes and my nose. It was really hard to see. I couldn't hear anything. It was really hard to communicate. I couldn't breathe through my nose - I felt isolated and when I tried to tell ground that I was having trouble finding my way, they couldn't hear me, and I couldn't hear them either.” He got back to the craft OK in the end.

Facts About International Space Station: #24

On spacewalks, there are some zones that astronauts have to stay away from. Remember that they are inside a totally enclosed environment. A rip in the suit would cause a rather bad day, so the danger zones are the places where their suit could get torn. But what’s the very worst thing that could happen?

Facts About International Space Station: #25

The answer of course is just floating off into space. Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield said he doesn’t expect this to happen, but it is his very worst fear. It likely won’t ever happen to anyone since astronauts are attached to an 85ft (26 meters) braided steel tethering rope when they go on a spacewalk. But what if that somehow snapped?

Facts About International Space Station: #26

They would still likely be OK. That’s because they can press a button that will release a small joystick. This controls the jet pack that all space walkers wear. In the 1970s, there were no jet packs. Back then, when two astronauts named Pete Conrad and Joe Kerwin were outside the Skylab space station, they came loose. Luckily for them, they could be pulled back in by the tether.  but IF the very worst happened?

Facts About International Space Station: #27

If an astronaut’s jet pack malfunctioned and the rope somehow snapped, well, nothing is going to save that person. He or she would just float off, likely tumbling about a bit. The good news is, there would be about 7.5 hours of air to breathe, and with any luck, the tumbling bit might calm down. The astronaut could just relax, sip on some cool water, and drift off. They’d then choke to death. That’s all a bit dark. Now let’s talk about something nice.

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