GoldStar Explorations - Space
The International Space Station
by Gregory A. Smith
Human Population Beyond Earth: 6
Alexander Misurkin, Joe Acaba, Mark Vande Hei, Anton Shkaplerov, Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanaihuman are all on the International Space Station (ISS), call sign: Alpha Station. The ISS is orbiting 408 km (253 miles) above Earth. Rotating crews every few months (with the occasional long-duration stay), the ISS has been occupied since the arrival of Expedition 1 on 2 November 2000. Now on Expedition 54, the ISS holds the record for the being host to the longest continuous human presence beyond Earth.
Expedition 54 Mission Overview
9/12/17 - Exp 53/54 Launch
12/15/17 - Dragon Launch
12/17/17 - Exp 54/55 Launch
12/17/17 - Dragon Capture
12/19/17 - Exp 54/55 Dock
12/27/17 - Progress 67 Undock
1/13/18 - Dragon Release
1/23/18 - U.S. Spacewalk (7:24)
February 2018 - Exp 53/54 Land
April 2018 - Exp 54/55 Land
The ISS is a research facility in a microgravity and (low Earth orbit) space environment. A wide variety of research has been conducted on the ISS, from astronomy to meteorology to pharmaceutical production. Studies into long-duration human spaceflight are a vital component of this research and greatly advances the knowledge and skills needed for the establishment of a permanent human presence beyond Earth.
Among other research, Expedition 54 astronauts will study self-replicating colloidal materials with the Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-7 (ACE-T-7) which "involves the design and assembly of 3-D structures from small particles suspended in a fluid medium." This research has great implications in the field of nanotechnology.
Check out the google streetview from inside the International Space Station - it is worth it! Amazing! You'll start in the Cupola Observation Module with windows looking on Earth. Eventually you will figure out how to spin around and maneuver through the space station. It could use some decorating... I get a very utilitarian/storage shed feel to the place. It isn't a hotel. Take a Google Street View float around inside the ISS
Unfortunately, permanently continuing use of Alpha Station itself is not feasible for various physics, engineering and safety reasons. Moving it out to a space junkyard for posterity is also not considered feasible in terms the amount of push needed. The ISS is divided into two sections, a Russian segment and an American segment. The American section is currently funded until 2024, and the Roscosmos (the Russian space agency) endorsed the continued operation of the ISS through 2024 and has also proposed using parts of the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) to construct a new Russian space station.
Eventually, under nominal conditions, the ISS will become a fiery ball plunging into the Pacific Ocean sometime in the next decade.
The International Space Station, Alpha Station, is currently where we humans are - beyond Earth.
Among the stars is humanity's future.
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Links to references and further information:
International Space Station (NASA)
Wikipedia International Space Station
Here is a nice graphic displaying orbital distances.
Very cool spinning orbits and distances graphic here.
How Does Your Space Garden Grow? Growing a garden in space.
Here's a pdf file on an "Advanced Plant Habitat" experiment conducted on the ISS.
Here's an interesting find: a list of experiments by hardware conducted on the International Space Station.