Space Exploration Day | Life at the International Space Station

In low Earth orbit can be found the International Space Station — a large laboratory where astronauts from different countries live and work together while circling Earth every 90 minutes. What began as a project involving the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada is today a strong symbol of cooperation among countries for the future of space exploration. So far, over 290 people from 26 countries have visited the ISS.

The ISS is mainly used for scientific research as it provides something quite difficult to find on Earth — the lack of gravity. It enables us to study how living in space affects the human body, how materials behave in microgravity, and how plants, fluids, and technology perform beyond Earth. 

The International Space Station operates almost entirely on solar power. Since the ISS circles around the Earth every 90 minutes, it spends about 45 minutes in sunlight and the rest 45 minutes in Earth’s shadow. This helps power the batteries and other functions on ISS.

Inside the ISS, there are mainly 7 crew cabins or sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a large 360-degree, 7-window bay observation window called Cupola. 

Life on the International Space Station (ISS) is unique yet monotonous. Astronauts and cosmonauts follow a carefully planned routine that includes scientific experiments, maintenance tasks, communication with Earth, and spacewalks when necessary. They also take photographs of Earth, providing people below with stunning views of our planet from above. To counteract the harmful effects of microgravity on their muscles and bones, they must exercise for about two hours each day. 

Did you know?

• To ensure astronauts don’t float around while sleeping, they sleep in small private compartments and in sleeping bags strapped to the wall.
• The ISS is so fast that it goes around Earth about every 90 minutes, which means astronauts see about 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in one day. 
• Showering every day is not a possibility in outer space. So instead, astronauts use wet towels, no-rinse soap, and special shampoo. 
• Drinking water is recycled, even from moisture in the air and urine, to save supplies. 
• In low gravity, an astronaut’s spinal discs can expand, making them up to 3% taller (about 5 to 7 cm) on the ISS. However, they return to their original height upon returning to Earth.
• In 2001, Pizza Hut actually paid a Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Usachov, to deliver a specially preserved 6-inch salami pizza to the ISS, making it one of the most expensive deliveries and the first commercial pizza eaten in outer space.