International Space Station

The International Space Station is the largest man-made object ever sent into space! It is an artificial satellite revolving around the Earth. It is of the size of a football field. It is created by multiple countries together. Space agencies from the USA, Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada have together built the ISS.

The ISS completes one rotation around the Earth in 90 minutes. It completes 16 orbits around the Earth per day. That means, for the astronauts living in the ISS, it looks like the sun is rising and setting 16 times in one day!

The ISS obtains all of its power from the Sun. The ISS has a living space which is as big as a 5 bedroom house. This is where the astronauts live. The ISS also has a few laboratories where the astronauts conduct their experiments. Generally, astronauts live in the ISS for about 6 months.

Activities

Videos

This is how the ISS is built:

Learn more about the ISS:

Conversation Pointers

1. What is a satellite? (Answer: A man-made object which orbits the Earth and gathers information)
2. Can an astronaut live on a satellite? (Answer: Yes, they can live on the ISS)
3. Is it possible to see the sunrise and sunset 16 times in one day? (Yes, only if you are an astronaut living on the ISS.)