The International Space Station is the largest structure humans have ever put into space. The main construction took place between 1998 and 2011. It has been occupied for over a year.

Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada and Japan are part of a "co-operative programme" that owns the International Space Station. According to the office of the inspector general, the International Space Station costs about $3 billion a year for NASA to operate, a third of the human spaceflight budget.

Elizabeth Howell headshot

Staff Writer, Spaceflight

The International Space Station has hosted 258 people from 20 countries. The United States and Russia have the highest number of participants. The allocation of time for astronauts on the space station is based on how much money or resources they give to the space agency.

Contributions from 15 countries are included in the ISS. The United States, Russia, and the European Space Agency are the major partners of the space station, which gets most of its funding from these three. Through a private company called Axiom Space, private astronauts are starting to work on the space station from time to time, as well as astronauts from other nations such as the U.A.

The International Space Station is live.

two female astronauts in the international space station behind spacesuits

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch seen on the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)
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The partners are discussing a possible extension of the space station's life cycle. Russia says it will pull out of the space station in 2024 and NASA has approved an extension to 2030. After Russia leaves, how the station will operate has not been decided. Plans for the International Space Station are not clear. It could be recycled into new space stations.

Mission control centers in Houston and Moscow are used to assist crews on the International Space Station. The space station is supported by other international mission control centers. Mission control centers in Houston and Moscow control the elements of the space station.

astronaut floating in iss surrounded by experiments

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins performing experiments on the International Space Station. She is the first Black female to perform a long-duration mission in space. (Image credit: NASA)
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International Space Station and Russia

Russia is a major partner in the space station. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was condemned by the international community. International space partnerships were dissolved due to this. The space station is still being operated by Russia, the United States and other partners.

Russia said it would leave the International Space Station after 24 years. A new Russian Orbital Space Station is one of the goals of the agency. The international partners are talking about the transition.

The complex is interdependent and cannot be separated into separate parts. The US supplies power while the Russians control it, according to NASA. NASA and its partners are testing the feasibility of raising the International Space Station's altitude on their own.

The International Space Station requires such maneuvers to avoid falling into the Earth's atmosphere. The crew of the International Space Station had to shelter in place after Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test in November of 2021.

a russian soyuz spacecraft backdropped by the horizon of earth, in darkness

Russia's Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft separates from the International Space Station after 175 days of docked operations on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Image credit: NASA TV)
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How to see the International Space Station

The International Space Station is located in the middle of the Earth's atmosphere. It circles the globe at a speed of over 20,000 mph. It would take about a day to travel from Earth to the moon and back.

At night, the International Space Station can be seen as a moving point of light and as bright as Venus. Night sky watchers know when and where to look for it, so it can be seen from Earth.

Check out our guide for more information on tracking the space station.

It is as amazing as it sounds, and you can explore the space station in virtual reality.

long-range view of the international space station in space

The International Space Station taken in 2011 by a crewmember onboard the space shuttle Atlantis. (Image credit: NASA)
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Life on the International Space Station

Seven people from around the world live and work inside the International Space Station. The number of crew members who visit the International Space Station can vary during the changeover. The record for the most people in space at the same time is currently held by this. Non- professional astronauts are sometimes brought on board the space station.

In the case of Russian cosmonauts, they travel to the space station in a Russian Soyuz capsule. The main mode of transportation for astronauts and cosmonauts was the Soyuz. Crew Dragon started flying people after the launch of the demo-2 mission. After it's successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2, Boeing's Starliner will be ready to launch humans.

After arriving at the station, astronauts will spend around six months conducting various science experiments and maintaining the station. At least two hours of exercise and personal care will be spent by astronauts outside of work. Occasionally, they perform spacewalks, conduct media/school events, and post on social media. Mike Massimino was the first person to send a message from space.

Small bunk beds are usually found in the bedrooms in the ISS. The astronauts can either tether themselves to a wall or float in the small space according to their preferences. It is possible for crews temporarily visiting for just a few days to sleep in their spaceship or in a spare spot on the station.

The International Space Station is a platform for long-term research for human health, which NASA says is a key step in allowing humans to explore other solar system destinations such as the moon or Mars.

NASA astronauts on the International Space Station enter the Space Force.

Many scientific investigations are trying to understand how severe the changes are and if they can be reversed. The astronauts are involved in testing out products, such as an espresso machine or 3D printers, as well as doing biological experiments, which they can grow and sometimes eat in space. More than 3,600 researchers have been helped to conduct more than 2,500 experiments since the beginning of the year.

Astronauts only have limited spare time in space, but they use it for activities like looking out the window, talking with friends and family, taking pictures or doing hobbies. Mark Kelly once wore a gorilla suit on the International Space Station as a joke.

astronaut manipulating plants in space

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir cuts Mizuna mustard green leaves on the ISS for the VEG-04B space agriculture study.  (Image credit: NASA)
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The crews are responsible for keeping the station running. Sometimes they need to go on spacewalks to make repairs. When a part of the ammonia system fails it can be an urgent repair. The safety procedures for spacewalks were changed after Luca Parmitano's helmet filled with water on a spacewalk.

NASA responds quickly to water incursions. It has added pads to the spacesuits to absorb the liquid, and a tube if the helmet fills with water. Russian Orlan spacewalks are continuing as an independently manufactured spacesuit, despite NASA suspending spacewalks in May 2022.

There are machines produced by NASA to reduce the need for space walks. After discovering a fault in the machine, the dexterous machine was sent to Earth for repairs. The Canadarm2 is one of the external robotic arms that can tackle maintenance issues remotely. The European robotic arm on the Russian segment will be the third large operational arm on the space station after it is installed and commissioned.

How to take a picture of the International Space Station.

How big is the International Space Station?

The space station has a mass of nearly one million lbs and spans the area of a football field. Visiting vehicles are not included. The complex has more living space than a 6-bedroom house and has a gym and a bay window. The astronauts compared the space station's living space to that of a jumbo jet.

prichal module of international space station with cosmonauts doing a spacewalk. a container floats away at lower right

Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (at left) jettisons a container (floating away at lower right) after installing the docking target it once held on Russia's Prichal multi-port docking module. Shkaplerov and Pytor Dubrov readied Prichal for future visiting spacecraft during a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Image credit: NASA TV)
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International Space Station modules

The International Space Station was built in a gradual fashion using spacewalking astronauts and robotic equipment. The heavier pieces of the missions were carried by NASA's space shuttle. Solar panels that provide power, as well as exterior trusses that provide structural support, are included in the ISS.

There is a photo tour of the International Space Station.

Russia Zarya was the first module to launch. The NASA Unity module was launched two weeks later. Some pieces of the station were launched on rockets or in the space shuttle cargo bay after spacewalks to connect the two parts of the station. The other major modules and components are listed.

  • The truss, airlocks and solar panels (launched in stages throughout the ISS lifetime; docking adapters were launched in 2017 for new commercial spacecraft)
  • Zvezda (Russia; launched in 2000)
  • Destiny Laboratory Module (NASA; launched 2001)
  • Canadarm2 robotic arm (CSA; launched 2001). It was originally used only for spacewalks and remote-controlled repairs. Today it also is regularly used to berth cargo spacecraft to the space station – spacecraft that can't use the other ports.
  • Harmony/Node 2 (NASA; launched 2007)
  • Columbus orbital facility (ESA; launched 2008)
  • Dextre robotic hand (CSA; launched 2008)
  • Japanese Experiment Module or Kibo (launched in stages between 2008-09)
  • Cupola window and Tranquility/Node 3 (launched 2010)
  • Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module (ESA; launched for permanent residency in 2011, although it was used before that to bring cargo to and from the station)
  • Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (private module launched 2016)
  • NanoRacks Bishop Airlock (launched 2020)
  • Nauka, Multipurpose Laboratory Module (launched 2021)
  • Prichal, a Russian docking module (launched 2021)

Nauka module in space with the earth on the left

Russia's Nauka (Multipurpose Laboratory Module) pictured shortly after docking to the Zvezda service module. (Image credit: NASA)
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What else visits the ISS?

The space station has been visited by a lot of different types of vehicles. Vehicles from Russia visit the station on a regular basis. Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle and Japan's H- II Transfer Vehicle used to visit the International Space Station.

The Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program began in 2006 and ended in 2013 The first commercial vehicle made a trip to the space station. NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program continues to visit with Dragon and Cygnus. The Starliner is being developed for human visits.

spacex dragon at upper right with earth below

The SpaceX Dragon CRS-25 spacecraft departs the International Space Station during orbital sunrise. (Image credit: NASA TV)
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Records in space

Over the years, the International Space Station has had a number of notable accomplishments.

  • Most consecutive days in space by an American: 355 days, which happened in 2021-2022 with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
  • Longest single spaceflight by a woman: 328 days, during American astronaut Christina Koch’s 2019-20 mission aboard the space station.
  • Most total time spent in space by a woman: Again, that's Peggy Whitson, who racked up most of her 665 days in space on the ISS.
  • Most women in space at once: This happened in April 2010 when women from two spaceflight missions met at the ISS. This included Tracy Caldwell Dyson (who flew on a Soyuz spacecraft for a long-duration mission) and NASA astronauts Stephanie Wilson and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger and Japan's Naoko Yamazaki, who arrived aboard the space shuttle Discovery on its brief STS-131 mission.
  • Biggest space gathering: 13 people, during NASA's STS-127 shuttle mission aboard Endeavour in 2009. (It's been tied a few times during later missions.)
  • Longest single spacewalk: 8 hours and 56 minutes during STS-102, for an ISS construction mission in 2001. NASA astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms participated.
  • Longest Russian spacewalk: 8 hours and 13 minutes during Expedition 54, to repair an ISS antenna. Russian astronauts Alexander Misurkin and Anton Shkaplerov participated. 

astronaut mark vande de hei leaving airplane via stairs, waving and wearing a mask

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei soon after landing in Houston, Texas after a return from a nearly year-long mission in space in  2021-22. (Image credit: NASA)
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Additional resources

The Haynes manual can be used to learn more about the space station and Scott Kelly, the man who lived there for a year. A Lifetime of Discovery is a film about a year in space.

If you want to look out the window of the International Space Station and feel like you are living there, look out the window of the Interior Space: AVisual Exploration of the International Space Station.

Bibliography

Europe's space agency. The International Space Station has an information page.

The Visitor Complex of the Kennedy Space Center can be found on the website. In October 2020. There are 20 most frequently asked questions about the international space station.

The man was named Mark. The year ends on Dec. 14. The space station assembly can be found at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/space-station-assembly

The man was named Mark. There will be a ceremony on March 30th. There are record holders at the NASA station. The NASA station astronauts record-holders can be found on the NASA.gov website.

The man was named Mark. The year ends in August. The international space station. www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html