Mohawk valley astronomical society
living in space by carol higgins
Reading statistics can be boring, but some facts and figures about space exploration are so unusual that they are quite fun to learn. For example, did you know that humans have been living in space every minute of every day since November 2, 2000? This month we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day the first crew (Expedition 1) arrived for a four-month mission at the world’s foremost science laboratory and research facility – the International Space Station (ISS). Discussions and detailed planning for an Earth-orbiting station started at NASA in the mid-1980s, and space agencies in other countries were invited to participate. A strong coalition of 15 countries evolved to solve a daunting list of complex engineering challenges and work together to make the scientific collaboration a success: the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the 11 countries in the European Space Agency. Today, the ISS continues to be an exceptional example of peaceful international cooperation. Expedition 1 launched October 31, 2000, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying three experienced space travelers: NASA’s William Shepherd, and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. Their Soyuz spacecraft docked November 2, and they got to work activating many of the station’s systems, unpacking supplies, and getting the station up and running in preparation for future crews and missions scheduled to expand the outpost. When they arrived, the ISS had three modules: Zarya, Unity, and Zvezda. Russia built
Zarya and launched it on November The International Space Station 20, 1998. Unity arrived a few weeks Image credit: NASA/Roscosmos later inside the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Endeavour, and the crew connected the two modules. Russia technology development, physical science, launched Zvezda on July 12, 2000, and it auand human research to find new treatments tonomously docked to Zarya. for cancer, osteoporosis, glaucoma, and oth Today, the space station is very different er diseases. So far almost 3,000 experiments compared to its initial configuration. The enhave been performed. tire structure is 357 feet across, the sizeHanny’s of a Voorwerp. Imagecurrent Credit: NASA, ESA,isW.NASA’s Keel, GalaxyDr. Zoo Team The crew Kate football field. It took 42 missions to deliver Rubins, and Russia’s Sergey Ryzhikov and new modules and components over several Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. They will be joined years, thanks to 27 space shuttles and five by NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, VicRussian rocket launches. tor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan’s ISS has 16 pressurized modules and airSoichi Noguchi when SpaceX launches locks, and eight docking ports for visiting their Crew Dragon spacecraft scheduled for spacecraft that deliver new crew members mid-November. and supplies. The crew modules are the Sometimes the station’s orbit takes it over size of a six-room house and include living the Mohawk Valley as it circles our planet at quarters and high-tech research labs outfitted 17,500 miles per hour. Visit the NASA webwith advanced test equipment and test racks. site https://spotthestation.nasa.gov and enter Over 50 computers control and monitor varyour town for upcoming sighting opportuious systems, including a life support system nities. The invaluable research platform that that provides clean air and recycles about 93 you’ll see has led to many of the products percent of station wastewater. Four pairs of and technologies we use today, and there are huge solar arrays provide electrical power. people living on board right now! On average, crew members stay on board Wishing you clear skies and good health!• for six months. Their daily schedule is busy and filled with tasks ranging from a spacewalk, station maintenance, exercising two Join MVAS from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM hours every day to minimize bone loss and on November 14 for stargazing at other problems associated with living in a weightless environment, and performing sciBarton-Brown Observatory ence experiments. The station offers a unique 206 White St., Waterville, NY. setting for research in many categories: including biology and biotechnology, Earth See the MVAS Facebook page for details. science, STEM collaborations with students,
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Headquarters of the Town of Webb Historical Association
