Why Does The ISS Exist?

The International Space Station, or the ISS for short, is a modular laboratory in low Earth Orbit that is shared by many countries. It is a fantastic work of engineering and technology that has helped us to learn more about how space affects us and what the future of space exploration could look like. The ISS first started construction in 1998, and eventually, the first residents arrived on the ISS on November 2, 2000. Since then, there has always been some form of human presence on the ISS.

View of the ISS from STS-132

The ISS is a unique place where fascinating experiments occur daily. Since the ISS is in low Earth Orbit, it is in an environment with microgravity. This provides for some very unique experiments that cannot be done on Earth. There are a variety of fields that are covered by research on the ISS. These include astrobiology, astronomy, physical sciences, materials science, space weather, meteorology, and human research, including space medicine and the life sciences.

One of the many experiments on the ISS is studying the effects of microgravity on the human body. In the experiment, they had astronaut Scott Kelly go to the ISS. His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, was also an astronaut. NASA decided to compare the two brothers after Scott Kelly returned from his one year stay at the ISS, NASA compared the two brothers. The study results showed that Scott Kelly was a little taller than his brother because of the microgravity because his spine grew. 

Mark Kelly (Left) and Scott Kelly (Right)
After Scott Kelly Returned from the ISS

Another famous experiment on the ISS is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). NASA created this experiment to help detect dark matter and learn more about its importance in space. In 2013, the AMS was able to detect Dark Matter.

The ISS is at the perfect location for space environment experiments because of its location in low Earth Orbit. Low Earth Orbit, or LEO for short, is approximately 300 kilometers to 400 kilometers from the Earth. Because the ISS is in this zone, objects in the ISS are in a continuous state of free fall. This can be very well by lighting a candle on the ISS versus on Earth. On Earth, the candle will flicker upward. However, on the ISS, the candle will flicker down back on the candle (look at the picture with the candle to see the effect).

The candle on the left is a candle burning 
normally on Earth. The candle on the right is
a candle on the ISS. The freefall effect 
on the ISS causes the flame to be shaped
like a dome.

This microgravity and freefall will lead to some fascinating and essential experiments in the future.

Despite its age, the ISS has many plans and will be a vital space station for astronauts and researchers. One reason is that the ISS may potentially serve as a hub for future missions to the Moon and even Mars. This would help on a resupply, especially since we now know that we can grow vegetables in space from experiments done on the ISS. We also know that more modules will be added to the ISS, including modules made by private companies. Eventually, I will be going over the modules in the ISS and how they work. Overall, the ISS is a crucial piece of technology and will help aid the world in space research for years to come.

Astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor growing plants onboard the ISS

Sources:

“International Space Station.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station. 

“Mark Kelly.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Nov. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-and-Scott-Kelly. 

“Studying Plant Growth in Microgravity and on the Moon.” ISS US National Laboratory, 17 Jan. 2019, www.issnationallab.org/blog/studying-plant-growth-in-microgravity-and-on-the-moon/.