International Space Station Sam Sharrow

The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It’s a home
where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a science
laboratory. Several people worked together to build and use the space station. The
space station is made of parts that were assembled in space by astronauts. It orbits
Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. The first piece of the
International Space Station was launched in 1998. A Russian rocket launched that
piece. After that, more pieces were added. Two years later, the station was ready for
people. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes. NASA is
using the space station to learn more about living and working in space. These lessons
will make it possible to send humans farther into space than ever before. In addition to
the laboratories where astronauts conduct science research, the space station has
many other parts. The first Russian modules included basic systems needed for the
space station to function. They also provided living areas for crew members. Modules
called "nodes" connect parts of the station to each other. As of January 2018, 230
individuals from 18 countries have visited the International Space Station. Top
participating countries include the United States (145 people) and Russia (46 people).
Astronaut time and research time on the space station is allocated to space agencies
according to how much money or resources (such as modules or robotics) that they
contribute. The ISS includes contributions from 15 nations. NASA (United States),
Roscosmos(Russia) and the European Space Agency are the major partners of the
space station who contribute most of the funding. The other partners are the Japanese
Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Current plans call for
the space station to be operated through at least 2024, with the partners discussing a
possible extension until 2028. Afterwards, plans for the space station are not clearly laid
out. It could be deorbited, or recycled for future space stations in orbit. Every so often,
you can see the ISS in your night sky. To us on Earth, it looks like a bright star moving
quickly above the horizon. Visible to the naked eye, the station is best seen at dawn and
dusk, and is the third brightest object in the sky. You can also sign up for alerts via
email or text messages.