Which station is currently operating in space? Space

Cosmonautics Day is coming on April 12th. And of course, it would be wrong to ignore this holiday. Moreover, this year the date will be special, 50 years since the first human flight into space. It was on April 12, 1961 that Yuri Gagarin accomplished his historical feat.

Well, man cannot survive in space without grandiose superstructures. This is exactly what the International Space Station is.

The dimensions of the ISS are small; length - 51 meters, width including trusses - 109 meters, height - 20 meters, weight - 417.3 tons. But I think everyone understands that the uniqueness of this superstructure is not in its size, but in the technologies used to operate the station in outer space. The ISS orbital altitude is 337-351 km above the earth. The orbital speed is 27,700 km/h. This allows the station to complete a full revolution around our planet in 92 minutes. That is, every day, astronauts on the ISS experience 16 sunrises and sunsets, 16 times night follows day. Currently, the ISS crew consists of 6 people, and in general, during its entire operation, the station received 297 visitors (196 different people). The start of operation of the International Space Station is considered to be November 20, 1998. And at the moment (04/09/2011) the station has been in orbit for 4523 days. During this time it has evolved quite a lot. I suggest you verify this by looking at the photo.

ISS, 1999.

ISS, 2000.

ISS, 2002.

ISS, 2005.

ISS, 2006.

ISS, 2009.

ISS, March 2011.

Below is a diagram of the station, from which you can find out the names of the modules and also see the docking locations of the ISS with other spacecraft.

The ISS is an international project. 23 countries participate in it: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg (!!!), the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, USA, Finland, France, Czech Republic , Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. After all, no state alone can financially manage the construction and maintenance of the functionality of the International Space Station. It is not possible to calculate exact or even approximate costs for the construction and operation of the ISS. The official figure has already exceeded 100 billion US dollars, and if we add all the side costs, we get about 150 billion US dollars. The International Space Station is already doing this. the most expensive project throughout the history of mankind. And based on the latest agreements between Russia, the USA and Japan (Europe, Brazil and Canada are still in thought) that the life of the ISS has been extended at least until 2020 (and a further extension is possible), the total costs of maintaining the station will increase even more.

But I suggest we take a break from the numbers. Indeed, in addition to scientific value, the ISS has other advantages. Namely, the opportunity to appreciate the pristine beauty of our planet from the height of orbit. And it is not at all necessary to go into outer space for this.

Because the station has its own observation deck, a glazed module “Dome”.

It was launched into outer space in 1998. At the moment, for almost seven thousand days, day and night, the best minds of humanity have been working on solving the most complex mysteries in conditions of weightlessness.

Space

Every person who has seen this unique object at least once has asked a logical question: what is the altitude of the orbit of the international space station? But it’s impossible to answer it in monosyllables. The orbital altitude of the International Space Station ISS depends on many factors. Let's take a closer look at them.

The ISS's orbit around the Earth is decreasing due to the effects of a thin atmosphere. The speed decreases, and the altitude decreases accordingly. How to rush upward again? The altitude of the orbit can be changed using the engines of ships that dock to it.

Various heights

Over the entire duration of the space mission, several key values ​​were recorded. Back in February 2011, the ISS orbital altitude was 353 km. All calculations are made in relation to sea level. The altitude of the ISS orbit in June of the same year increased to three hundred and seventy-five kilometers. But this was far from the limit. Just two weeks later, NASA employees were happy to answer journalists’ question “What is the current altitude of the ISS orbit?” - three hundred eighty-five kilometers!

And this is not the limit

The altitude of the ISS orbit was still insufficient to resist natural friction. The engineers took a responsible and very risky step. The ISS orbital altitude was to be increased to four hundred kilometers. But this event happened a little later. The problem was that only ships lifted the ISS. Orbital altitude was limited for the shuttles. Only over time was the restriction lifted for the crew and the ISS. The orbital altitude since 2014 has exceeded 400 kilometers above sea level. The maximum average value was recorded in July and amounted to 417 km. In general, altitude adjustments are made constantly to fix the most optimal route.

History of creation

Back in 1984, the US government hatched plans to launch a large-scale scientific project in nearby space. It was quite difficult even for the Americans to carry out such a grandiose construction alone, and Canada and Japan were involved in the development.

In 1992, Russia was included in the campaign. In the early nineties, a large-scale project “Mir-2” was planned in Moscow. But economic problems prevented the grandiose plans from being realized. Gradually, the number of participating countries increased to fourteen.

Bureaucratic delays took more than three years. Only in 1995 was the design of the station adopted, and a year later - the configuration.

The twentieth of November 1998 was an outstanding day in the history of world astronautics - the first block was successfully delivered into orbit of our planet.

Assembly

The ISS is brilliant in its simplicity and functionality. The station consists of independent blocks that are connected to each other like a large construction set. It is impossible to calculate the exact cost of the object. Each new block is manufactured in a separate country and, of course, varies in price. In total, a huge number of such parts can be attached, so the station can be constantly updated.

Validity

Due to the fact that the station blocks and their contents can be changed and upgraded an unlimited number of times, the ISS can roam the expanses of near-Earth orbit for a long time.

The first alarm bell rang in 2011, when the space shuttle program was canceled due to its high cost.

But nothing terrible happened. Cargo was regularly delivered into space by other ships. In 2012, a private commercial shuttle even successfully docked to the ISS. Subsequently, a similar event occurred repeatedly.

Threats to the station can only be political. From time to time, officials from various countries threaten to stop supporting the ISS. At first, support plans were scheduled until 2015, then until 2020. Today, there is approximately an agreement to maintain the station until 2027.

And while politicians argue among themselves, in 2016 the ISS made its 100,000th orbit around the planet, which was originally called “Anniversary.”

Electricity

Sitting in the dark is, of course, interesting, but sometimes it gets boring. On the ISS, every minute is worth its weight in gold, so engineers were deeply puzzled by the need to provide the crew with uninterrupted electrical power.

Many different ideas were proposed, and in the end it was agreed that nothing could be better than solar panels in space.

When implementing the project, the Russian and American sides took different paths. Thus, the generation of electricity in the first country is carried out for a 28 volt system. The voltage in the American unit is 124 V.

During the day, the ISS makes many orbits around the Earth. One revolution is approximately an hour and a half, forty-five minutes of which pass in the shade. Of course, at this time generation from solar panels is impossible. The station is powered by nickel-hydrogen batteries. The service life of such a device is about seven years. The last time they were changed was back in 2009, so very soon the engineers will carry out the long-awaited replacement.

Device

As previously written, the ISS is a huge construction set, the parts of which are easily connected to each other.

As of March 2017, the station has fourteen elements. Russia delivered five blocks, named Zarya, Poisk, Zvezda, Rassvet and Pirs. The Americans gave their seven parts the following names: “Unity”, “Destiny”, “Tranquility”, “Quest”, “Leonardo”, “Dome” and “Harmony”. The countries of the European Union and Japan so far have one bloc each: Columbus and Kibo.

Units are constantly changing depending on the tasks assigned to the crew. Several more blocks are on the way, which will significantly enhance the research capabilities of the crew members. The most interesting, of course, are the laboratory modules. Some of them are completely sealed. Thus, they can explore absolutely everything, even alien living beings, without the risk of infection for the crew.

Other blocks are designed to generate the necessary environments for normal human life. Still others allow you to freely go into space and carry out research, observations or repairs.

Some blocks do not carry a research load and are used as storage facilities.

Ongoing research

Numerous studies are, in fact, why in the distant nineties politicians decided to send a constructor into space, the cost of which today is estimated at more than two hundred billion dollars. For this money you can buy a dozen countries and get a small sea as a gift.

So, the ISS has such unique capabilities that no earthly laboratory has. The first is the presence of limitless vacuum. The second is the actual absence of gravity. Third, the most dangerous ones are not spoiled by refraction in the earth’s atmosphere.

Don’t feed researchers bread, but give them something to study! They happily carry out the duties assigned to them, even despite the mortal risk.

Scientists are most interested in biology. This area includes biotechnology and medical research.

Other scientists often forget about sleep when exploring the physical forces of extraterrestrial space. Materials and quantum physics are only part of the research. A favorite activity, according to the revelations of many, is testing various liquids in zero gravity.

Experiments with vacuum, in general, can be carried out outside the blocks, right in outer space. Earthly scientists can only be jealous in a good way while watching experiments via video link.

Any person on Earth would give anything for one spacewalk. For station workers, this is almost a routine activity.

conclusions

Despite the dissatisfied cries of many skeptics about the futility of the project, ISS scientists made many interesting discoveries that allowed us to look differently at space as a whole and at our planet.

Every day these brave people receive a huge dose of radiation, all for the sake of scientific research that will give humanity unprecedented opportunities. One can only admire their efficiency, courage and determination.

The ISS is a fairly large object that can be seen from the surface of the Earth. There is even a whole website where you can enter the coordinates of your city and the system will tell you exactly what time you can try to see the station while sitting in a sun lounger right on your balcony.

Of course, the space station has many opponents, but there are many more fans. This means that the ISS will confidently stay in its orbit four hundred kilometers above sea level and will show avid skeptics more than once how wrong they were in their forecasts and predictions.

Webcam on the International Space Station

Ibuki(Japanese: いぶき Ibuki, Breath) is an Earth remote sensing satellite, the world's first spacecraft whose task is to monitor greenhouse gases. The satellite is also known as The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, or GOSAT for short. Ibuki is equipped with infrared sensors that determine the density of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. In total, the satellite has seven different scientific instruments. Ibuki was developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA and launched on January 23, 2009 from the Tanegashima Satellite Launch Center. The launch was carried out using a Japanese H-IIA launch vehicle.

Video broadcast life on the space station includes an interior view of the module when the astronauts are on duty. The video is accompanied by live audio of negotiations between the ISS and MCC. Television is only available when the ISS is in contact with the ground via high-speed communications. If the signal is lost, viewers can see a test picture or a graphical map of the world that shows the station's location in orbit in real time. Because the ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, the sun rises or sets every 45 minutes. When the ISS is in darkness, the external cameras may show blackness, but can also show a breathtaking view of the city lights below.

International Space Station, abbr. The ISS (International Space Station, abbr. ISS) is a manned orbital station used as a multi-purpose space research complex. The ISS is a joint international project in which 15 countries participate: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. The ISS is controlled by: the Russian segment - from Space Flight Control Center in Korolev, the American segment from the Mission Control Center in Houston. There is a daily exchange of information between the Centers.

Means of communication
The transmission of telemetry and the exchange of scientific data between the station and the Mission Control Center is carried out using radio communication. In addition, radio communications are used during rendezvous and docking operations; they are used for audio and video communication between crew members and with flight control specialists on Earth, as well as relatives and friends of the astronauts. Thus, the ISS is equipped with internal and external multi-purpose communication systems.
The Russian segment of the ISS communicates directly with Earth using the Lyra radio antenna installed on the Zvezda module. "Lira" makes it possible to use the "Luch" satellite data relay system. This system was used to communicate with the Mir station, but it fell into disrepair in the 1990s and is not currently used. To restore the system's functionality, Luch-5A was launched in 2012. At the beginning of 2013, it is planned to install specialized subscriber equipment on the Russian segment of the station, after which it will become one of the main subscribers of the Luch-5A satellite. The launches of 3 more satellites “Luch-5B”, “Luch-5V” and “Luch-4” are also expected.
Another Russian communications system, Voskhod-M, provides telephone communications between the Zvezda, Zarya, Pirs, Poisk modules and the American segment, as well as VHF radio communications with ground control centers using external antennas module "Zvezda".
In the American segment, two separate systems located on the Z1 truss are used for communication in the S-band (audio transmission) and Ku-band (audio, video, data transmission). Radio signals from these systems are transmitted to American TDRSS geostationary satellites, which allows for almost continuous contact with mission control in Houston. Data from Canadarm2, the European Columbus module and the Japanese Kibo module are redirected through these two communication systems, but the American TDRSS data transmission system will eventually be supplemented by the European satellite system (EDRS) and a similar Japanese one. Communication between modules is carried out via an internal digital wireless network.
During spacewalks, astronauts use a UHF VHF transmitter. VHF radio communications are also used during docking or undocking by the Soyuz, Progress, HTV, ATV and Space Shuttle spacecraft (although the shuttles also use S- and Ku-band transmitters via TDRSS). With its help, these spacecraft receive commands from the mission control center or from the ISS crew members. Automatic spacecraft are equipped with their own means of communication. Thus, ATV ships use a specialized Proximity Communication Equipment (PCE) system during rendezvous and docking, the equipment of which is located on the ATV and on the Zvezda module. Communication is carried out through two completely independent S-band radio channels. PCE begins to function, starting from relative ranges of about 30 kilometers, and is turned off after the ATV is docked to the ISS and switches to interaction via the on-board MIL-STD-1553 bus. To accurately determine the relative position of the ATV and the ISS, a laser rangefinder system installed on the ATV is used, making precise docking with the station possible.
The station is equipped with approximately one hundred ThinkPad laptop computers from IBM and Lenovo, models A31 and T61P. These are ordinary serial computers, which, however, have been modified for use in the ISS, in particular, the connectors and cooling system have been redesigned, the 28 Volt voltage used at the station has been taken into account, and the safety requirements for working in zero gravity have been met. Since January 2010, the station has provided direct Internet access for the American segment. Computers on board the ISS are connected via Wi-Fi to a wireless network and are connected to the Earth at a speed of 3 Mbit/s for downloading and 10 Mbit/s for downloading, which is comparable to a home ADSL connection.

Orbit altitude
The altitude of the ISS orbit is constantly changing. Due to the remnants of the atmosphere, a gradual braking and altitude decrease occur. All incoming ships help raise the altitude using their engines. At one time they limited themselves to compensating for the decline. Recently, the altitude of the orbit has been steadily increasing. February 10, 2011 — The flight altitude of the International Space Station was about 353 kilometers above sea level. On June 15, 2011 it increased by 10.2 kilometers and amounted to 374.7 kilometers. On June 29, 2011, the orbital altitude was 384.7 kilometers. In order to reduce the influence of the atmosphere to a minimum, the station had to be raised to 390-400 km, but American shuttles could not rise to such a height. Therefore, the station was maintained at altitudes of 330-350 km by periodic correction by engines. Due to the end of the shuttle flight program, this restriction has been lifted.

Timezone
The ISS uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is almost exactly equidistant from the times of the two control centers in Houston and Korolev. Every 16 sunrises/sunsets, the station's windows are closed to create the illusion of darkness at night. The team typically wakes up at 7 a.m. (UTC), and the crew typically works about 10 hours every weekday and about five hours every Saturday. During shuttle visits, the ISS crew usually follows Mission Elapsed Time (MET) - the total flight time of the shuttle, which is not tied to a specific time zone, but is calculated solely from the time the space shuttle took off. The ISS crew advances their sleep times before the shuttle arrives and returns to their previous sleep schedule after the shuttle departs.

Atmosphere
The station maintains an atmosphere close to that of Earth. Normal atmospheric pressure on the ISS is 101.3 kilopascals, the same as at sea level on Earth. The atmosphere on the ISS does not coincide with the atmosphere maintained in the shuttles, therefore, after the space shuttle docks, the pressures and composition of the gas mixture on both sides of the airlock are equalized. From approximately 1999 to 2004, NASA existed and developed the IHM (Inflatable Habitation Module) project, which planned to use atmospheric pressure at the station to deploy and create the working volume of an additional habitable module. The body of this module was supposed to be made of Kevlar fabric with a sealed inner shell of gas-tight synthetic rubber. However, in 2005, due to the unsolved nature of most of the problems posed in the project (in particular, the problem of protection from space debris particles), the IHM program was closed.

Microgravity
The gravity of the Earth at the height of the station's orbit is 90% of the gravity at sea level. The state of weightlessness is due to the constant free fall of the ISS, which, according to the equivalence principle, is equivalent to the absence of gravity. The station environment is often described as microgravity, due to four effects:

Braking pressure of the residual atmosphere.

Vibrational accelerations due to the operation of mechanisms and the movement of the station crew.

Orbit correction.

The heterogeneity of the Earth's gravitational field leads to the fact that different parts of the ISS are attracted to the Earth with different strengths.

All these factors create accelerations reaching values ​​of 10-3...10-1 g.

Observing the ISS
The size of the station is sufficient for its observation with the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. The ISS is observed as a fairly bright star, moving quite quickly across the sky approximately from west to east (angular velocity of about 1 degree per second.) Depending on the observation point, the maximum value of its magnitude can take a value from? 4 to 0. European Space the agency, together with the website “www.heavens-above.com”, provides the opportunity for everyone to find out the schedule of ISS flights over a certain populated area of ​​the planet. By going to the website page dedicated to the ISS and entering the name of the city of interest in Latin, you can get the exact time and a graphical representation of the station’s flight path over it for the coming days. The flight schedule can also be viewed at www.amsat.org. The ISS flight path can be seen in real time on the website of the Federal Space Agency. You can also use the Heavensat (or Orbitron) program.

Hello, if you have questions about the International Space Station and how it functions, we will try to answer them.

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Today you will learn about such an interesting NASA project as the ISS online web camera in HD quality. As you already understand, this webcam works live and video is sent to the network directly from the international space station. On the screen above you can look at the astronauts and a picture of space.

The ISS webcam is installed on the station's shell and broadcasts online video around the clock.

I would like to remind you that the most ambitious object in space created by us is the International Space Station. Its location can be observed on tracking, which displays its real position above the surface of our planet. The orbit is displayed in real time on your computer; literally 5-10 years ago this would have been unimaginable.

The dimensions of the ISS are amazing: length - 51 meters, width - 109 meters, height - 20 meters, and weight - 417.3 tons. The weight changes depending on whether the SOYUZ is docked to it or not, I want to remind you that the Space Shuttle no longer flies, their program has been curtailed, and the USA uses our SOYUZ.

Station structure

Animation of the construction process from 1999 to 2010.

The station is built on a modular structure: various segments were designed and created by the efforts of the participating countries. Each module has its own specific function: for example, research, residential, or adapted for storage.

3D model of the station

3D construction animation

As an example, let's take the American Unity modules, which are jumpers and also serve for docking with ships. At the moment, the station consists of 14 main modules. Their total volume is 1000 cubic meters, and their weight is about 417 tons; a crew of 6 or 7 people can always be on board.

The station was assembled by sequentially docking the next block or module to the existing complex, which is connected to those already operating in orbit.

If we take information for 2013, then the station includes 14 main modules, of which the Russian ones are Poisk, Rassvet, Zarya, Zvezda and Piers. American segments - Unity, Domes, Leonardo, Tranquility, Destiny, Quest and Harmony, European - Columbus and Japanese - Kibo.

This diagram shows all the major, as well as minor modules that are part of the station (shaded), and those planned for delivery in the future - not shaded.

The distance from Earth to the ISS ranges from 413-429 km. Periodically, the station is “raised” due to the fact that it is slowly decreasing, due to friction with the remnants of the atmosphere. At what altitude it is also depends on other factors, such as space debris.

Earth, bright spots - lightning

The recent blockbuster “Gravity” clearly (albeit slightly exaggeratedly) showed what can happen in orbit if space debris flies in close proximity. Also, the altitude of the orbit depends on the influence of the Sun and other less significant factors.

There is a special service that ensures that the ISS flight altitude is as safe as possible and that nothing threatens the astronauts.

There have been cases when, due to space debris, it was necessary to change the trajectory, so its height also depends on factors beyond our control. The trajectory is clearly visible on the graphs; it is noticeable how the station crosses seas and continents, flying literally over our heads.

Orbital speed

Spaceships of the SOYUZ series against the backdrop of the Earth, filmed with long exposure

If you find out how fast the ISS flies, you will be horrified; these are truly gigantic numbers for the Earth. Its speed in orbit is 27,700 km/h. To be precise, the speed is more than 100 times faster than a standard production car. It takes 92 minutes to complete one revolution. Astronauts experience 16 sunrises and sunsets in 24 hours. The position is monitored in real time by specialists from the Mission Control Center and the flight control center in Houston. If you are watching the broadcast, please note that the ISS space station periodically flies into the shadow of our planet, so there may be interruptions in the picture.

Statistics and interesting facts

If we take the first 10 years of the station’s operation, then in total about 200 people visited it as part of 28 expeditions, this figure is an absolute record for space stations (our Mir station was visited by “only” 104 people before that). In addition to holding records, the station became the first successful example of the commercialization of space flight. The Russian space agency Roscosmos, together with the American company Space Adventures, delivered space tourists into orbit for the first time.

In total, 8 tourists visited space, for whom each flight cost from 20 to 30 million dollars, which in general is not so expensive.

According to the most conservative estimates, the number of people who can go on a real space journey is in the thousands.

In the future, with mass launches, the cost of the flight will decrease, and the number of applicants will increase. Already in 2014, private companies are offering a worthy alternative to such flights - a suborbital shuttle, a flight on which will cost much less, the requirements for tourists are not so stringent, and the cost is more affordable. From the altitude of suborbital flight (about 100-140 km), our planet will appear to future travelers as an amazing cosmic miracle.

Live broadcast is one of the few interactive astronomical events that we see not recorded, which is very convenient. Remember that the online station is not always available; technical interruptions are possible when flying through the shadow zone. It is best to watch video from the ISS from a camera that is aimed at Earth, when you still have the opportunity to view our planet from orbit.

The Earth from orbit looks truly amazing; not only continents, seas, and cities are visible. Also presented to your attention are auroras and huge hurricanes, which look truly fantastic from space.

To give you some idea of ​​what the Earth looks like from the ISS, watch the video below.

This video shows a view of the Earth from space and was created from time-lapse photographs of astronauts. Very high quality video, watch only in 720p quality and with sound. One of the best videos, assembled from images from orbit.

The real-time webcam shows not only what is behind the skin, we can also watch the astronauts at work, for example, unloading the Soyuz or docking them. Live broadcasts can sometimes be interrupted when the channel is overloaded or there are problems with signal transmission, for example, in relay areas. Therefore, if the broadcast is impossible, then a static NASA splash screen or “blue screen” is shown on the screen.

The station in the moonlight, SOYUZ ships are visible against the background of the Orion constellation and auroras

However, take a moment to look at the view from the ISS online. When the crew is resting, users of the global Internet can watch an online broadcast of the starry sky from the ISS through the eyes of the astronauts - from a height of 420 km above the planet.

Crew work schedule

To calculate when astronauts are asleep or awake, it is necessary to remember that in space Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is used, which in winter lags behind Moscow time by three hours, and in summer by four, and accordingly the camera on the ISS shows the same time.

Astronauts (or cosmonauts, depending on the crew) are given eight and a half hours to sleep. The rise usually begins at 6.00, and the end at 21.30. There are mandatory morning reports to Earth, which begin at approximately 7.30 - 7.50 (this is on the American segment), at 7.50 - 8.00 (in Russian), and in the evening from 18.30 to 19.00. The astronauts' reports can be heard if the web camera is currently broadcasting this particular communication channel. Sometimes you can hear the broadcast in Russian.

Remember that you are listening and watching a NASA service channel that was originally intended only for specialists. Everything changed on the eve of the station’s 10th anniversary, and the online camera on the ISS became public. And, so far, the International Space Station is online.

Docking with spacecraft

The most exciting moments broadcast by the web camera occur when our Soyuz, Progress, Japanese and European cargo spaceships dock, and in addition, cosmonauts and astronauts go into outer space.

A small nuisance is that the channel load at this moment is enormous, hundreds and thousands of people are watching the video from the ISS, the load on the channel increases, and the live broadcast may be intermittent. This spectacle can sometimes be truly fantastically exciting!

Flight over the surface of the planet

By the way, if we take into account the regions of flight, as well as the intervals at which the station is in areas of shadow or light, we can plan our own viewing of the broadcast using the graphical diagram at the top of this page.

But if you can only devote a certain amount of time to viewing, remember that the webcam is online all the time, so you can always enjoy the cosmic landscapes. However, it is better to watch it while the astronauts are working or the spacecraft is docking.

Incidents that happened during work

Despite all the precautions at the station, and with the ships that served it, unpleasant situations occurred; the most serious incident was the Columbia shuttle disaster that occurred on February 1, 2003. Although the shuttle did not dock with the station and was conducting its own mission, this tragedy led to all subsequent space shuttle flights being banned, a ban that was only lifted in July 2005. Because of this, the completion time for construction increased, since only the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft could fly to the station, which became the only means of delivering people and various cargo into orbit.

Also, in 2006, there was a small amount of smoke in the Russian segment, computer failures occurred in 2001 and twice in 2007. The autumn of 2007 turned out to be the most troublesome for the crew, because... I had to fix a solar battery that broke during installation.

International Space Station (photos taken by astro enthusiasts)

Using the data on this page, finding out where the ISS is now is not difficult. The station looks quite bright from Earth, so that it can be seen with the naked eye as a star that is moving, and quite quickly, from west to east.

The station was shot with a long exposure

Some astronomy enthusiasts even manage to get photos of the ISS from Earth.

These pictures look quite high quality; you can even see docked ships on them, and if astronauts go into outer space, then their figures.

If you are planning to observe it through a telescope, then remember that it moves quite quickly, and it is better if you have a go-to guidance system that allows you to guide the object without losing sight of it.

Where the station is flying now can be seen in the graph above

If you don’t know how to see it from Earth or you don’t have a telescope, the solution is a video broadcast for free and around the clock!

Information provided by the European Space Agency

Using this interactive scheme, the observation of the station's passage can be calculated. If the weather cooperates and there are no clouds, then you will be able to see for yourself the charming glide, a station that is the pinnacle of the progress of our civilization.

You just need to remember that the station’s orbital inclination angle is approximately 51 degrees; it flies over cities such as Voronezh, Saratov, Kursk, Orenburg, Astana, Komsomolsk-on-Amur). The further north you live from this line, the worse the conditions for seeing it with your own eyes will be or even impossible. In fact, you can only see it above the horizon in the southern part of the sky.

If we take the latitude of Moscow, then the best time to observe it is a trajectory that will be slightly higher than 40 degrees above the horizon, this is after sunset and before sunrise.

Manned orbital multi-purpose space research complex

The International Space Station (ISS), created to conduct scientific research in space. Construction began in 1998 and is being carried out in collaboration with the aerospace agencies of Russia, the USA, Japan, Canada, Brazil and the European Union, and is scheduled to be completed by 2013. The weight of the station after its completion will be approximately 400 tons. The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 340 kilometers, making 16 revolutions per day. The station will approximately operate in orbit until 2016-2020.

10 years after the first space flight by Yuri Gagarin, in April 1971, the world's first space orbital station, Salyut-1, was launched into orbit. Long-term manned stations (LOS) were necessary for scientific research. Their creation was a necessary step in preparing future human flights to other planets. During the Salyut program from 1971 to 1986, the USSR had the opportunity to test the main architectural elements of space stations and subsequently use them in the project of a new long-term orbital station - Mir.

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a reduction in funding for the space program, so Russia alone could not not only build a new orbital station, but also maintain the operation of the Mir station. At that time, the Americans had virtually no experience in creating DOS. In 1993, US Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed the Mir-Shuttle space cooperation agreement. The Americans agreed to finance the construction of the last two modules of the Mir station: Spectrum and Priroda. In addition, from 1994 to 1998, the United States made 11 flights to Mir. The agreement also provided for the creation of a joint project - the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the US National Aerospace Agency (NASA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA, which includes 17 participating countries), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) took part in the project. , as well as the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB). India and China have expressed interest in participating in the ISS project. On January 28, 1998, a final agreement was signed in Washington to begin construction of the ISS.

The ISS has a modular structure: its different segments were created by the efforts of the countries participating in the project and have their own specific function: research, residential, or used as storage facilities. Some of the modules, such as the American Unity series modules, are jumpers or are used for docking with transport ships. When completed, the ISS will consist of 14 main modules with a total volume of 1000 cubic meters; a crew of 6 or 7 people will always be on board the station.

The weight of the ISS after its completion is planned to be more than 400 tons. The station is roughly the size of a football field. In the starry sky it can be observed with the naked eye - sometimes the station is the brightest celestial body after the Sun and Moon.

The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 340 kilometers, making 16 revolutions per day. Scientific experiments are carried out on board the station in the following areas:

• Research into new medical methods of therapy and diagnostics and life support in zero gravity conditions
• Research in the field of biology, the functioning of living organisms in outer space under the influence of solar radiation
• Experiments to study the earth's atmosphere, cosmic rays, cosmic dust and dark matter
• Study of the properties of matter, including superconductivity.

The first module of the station, Zarya (weighs 19.323 tons), was launched into orbit by a Proton-K launch vehicle on November 20, 1998. This module was used at the early stage of construction of the station as a source of electricity, also to control orientation in space and maintain temperature conditions. Subsequently, these functions were transferred to other modules, and Zarya began to be used as a warehouse.

The Zvezda module is the main residential module of the station; on board there are life support and station control systems. The Russian transport ships Soyuz and Progress dock with it. The module, with a delay of two years, was launched into orbit by the Proton-K launch vehicle on July 12, 2000 and docked on July 26 with Zarya and the previously launched into orbit by the American docking module Unity-1.

The Pirs docking module (weighs 3,480 tons) was launched into orbit in September 2001 and is used for docking the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, as well as for spacewalks. In November 2009, the Poisk module, almost identical to Pirs, docked with the station.

Russia plans to dock a Multifunctional Laboratory Module (MLM) to the station; when launched in 2012, it should become the station's largest laboratory module, weighing more than 20 tons.

The ISS already has laboratory modules from the USA (Destiny), ESA (Columbus) and Japan (Kibo). They and the main hub segments Harmony, Quest and Unnity were launched into orbit by shuttles.

During the first 10 years of operation, the ISS was visited by more than 200 people from 28 expeditions, which is a record for space stations (only 104 people visited Mir). The ISS was the first example of the commercialization of space flight. Roscosmos, together with the Space Adventures company, sent space tourists into orbit for the first time. In addition, as part of a contract for the purchase of Russian weapons by Malaysia, Roscosmos in 2007 organized the flight of the first Malaysian cosmonaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, to the ISS.

Among the most serious incidents on the ISS is the landing disaster of the space shuttle Columbia ("Columbia", "Columbia") on February 1, 2003. Although Columbia did not dock with the ISS while conducting an independent exploration mission, the disaster led to the grounding of shuttle flights and did not resume until July 2005. This delayed the completion of the station and made the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft the only means of delivering cosmonauts and cargo to the station. In addition, smoke occurred in the Russian segment of the station in 2006, and computer failures were recorded in the Russian and American segments in 2001 and twice in 2007. In the fall of 2007, the station crew was busy repairing a solar panel rupture that occurred during its installation.

According to the agreement, each project participant owns its segments on the ISS. Russia owns the Zvezda and Pirs modules, Japan owns the Kibo module, and ESA owns the Columbus module. The solar panels, which upon completion of the station will generate 110 kilowatts per hour, and the remaining modules belong to NASA.

Completion of construction of the ISS is scheduled for 2013. Thanks to new equipment delivered aboard the ISS by the Endeavor shuttle expedition in November 2008, the station's crew will be increased in 2009 from 3 to 6 people. It was initially planned that the ISS station should operate in orbit until 2010; in 2008, a different date was given - 2016 or 2020. According to experts, the ISS, unlike the Mir station, will not be sunk in the ocean; it is intended to be used as a base for assembling interplanetary spacecraft. Despite the fact that NASA spoke in favor of reducing funding for the station, the head of the agency, Michael Griffin, promised to fulfill all US obligations to complete its construction. However, after the war in South Ossetia, many experts, including Griffin, stated that the cooling of relations between Russia and the United States could lead to Roscosmos ceasing cooperation with NASA and the Americans would lose the opportunity to send expeditions to the station. In 2010, US President Barack Obama announced the end of funding for the Constellation program, which was supposed to replace the shuttles. In July 2011, the Atlantis shuttle made its final flight, after which the Americans had to rely indefinitely on their Russian, European and Japanese counterparts to deliver cargo and astronauts to the station. In May 2012, the Dragon spacecraft, owned by the private American company SpaceX, docked with the ISS for the first time.