One thing is evident about the future of space travel and research: It will be even more expensive than in the past. International cooperation in space development is growing rapidly. A perfect example of this is the International Space Station (ISS). Different countries are working jointly in the ISS, each constructing their own modules and sending their own astronauts aboard.
Construction of the ISS
Unlike previous space stations (i.e.: Mir), which have been sent into orbit all in one piece, the ISS will be put together piece by piece in space. Whenever the construction of a piece for the space station is finished, it is launched into orbit and assembled by astronauts.
The foundation of the ISS is a horizontal truss around 350 ft (241.5 m) long. Attached to the truss are capsules for living, experiments, communications, and storage, as well as large solar panels. The solar panels provide electricity for all the systems aboard the space station.
When completed, the ISS will be more than 350 ft (241.5 m) long (about as high as a 30-story building) and weigh about 1,000,000 lb (452,500 kg). Although it is in microgravity, the space station gradually slows and falls closer to Earth. The Russian Progress module acts as a booster to compensate for this.
Life Aboard the Space Station
Since men and women live on the space station for long periods of time, the health and morale of the crew are crucial to the success of the project. For example, a person who has been subjected to months of unpleasant food, poor sleep, and long periods of unvarying activities [sounds like school] would probably not work at high efficiency. For this reason, mission planners pay special attention to providing a comfortable living environment to astronauts on the space station.
As we all know, eating is an important part of life. Eating provides fuel for living and is an enjoyable experience. On early space flights, astronauts ate pretty dull and distasteful food, but their flights were short so it didn't matter. Now, as flights become much longer, meals are specially prepared to be tasty and varied. Additionally, astronauts are allowed to bring some foods common to their culture. For instance, a Soviet cosmonaut may take borscht.
The near zero-gravity environment provides freedom, fun, and many inconveniences. For example, sleeping is not simply a matter of finding a dark room and lying down (you might wake up on the other side of the space station tangled in the middle of delicate electronic equipment). Instead, astronauts need to strap themselves onto a wall. Washing is also a problem since water doesn't flow in space. Astronauts need to go into a contained area and use a special device to spray water onto themselves.
Exercise is another key factor to living in weightlessness. Normal activity in microgravity does not strain muscles and bones as it does on Earth. For example, lifting a heavy object in space takes no more energy than lifting a piece of paper on Earth. Over time, bones and muscles weaken, so astronauts need to spend 1-2 hours a day exercising on machines aboard the space station.
Functions of the ISS
One of the main functions of the ISS is to study about living in space. Microgravity has many long-term effects on the human body and it is important to learn about these before we expand our development in space. Astronauts would like to explore which plants can be grown on the spacecraft for future missions.
Microgravity also opens up a completely new field of science research and manufacturing. On Earth, many physical and chemical processes are affected by gravity. In a zero-gravity environment, we can make compounds at a purity and level never achieved before. For example, materials such as pure crystals, extremely high-strength metals, and temperature-resistant glass can be produced in space.
In the future, spaceships may even be launched off the space station and head for distant planets/stars (the advantage is that the ship would not waste large amounts of fuel lifting off Earth's gravity). In conclusion, it is important to view the International Space Station as a good start toward spaceward development and not an end to it.
