International space station

of these articles is occupied with the international space station (EAT). For further meanings see EAT (term clarifying).

the international space station (English. I nternational S pace S tation, EAT) is a large space station developing in international co-operation. In former times it was well-known also under the designation alpha, but after the entry of Russia to the project this name was rejected, since it suggested a pioneer achievement from the view of the Russiansand the earlier Soviet space stations did not consider.

Those EAT is since 1998 in the building, has after conclusion of the structure maximum dimensions of approximately 110 x 90 x 80 meters and circles in approx. 350 km height with a flight path angleof 52°. On the Website Heavens Above one knows the position EATS for any time (and its position in the sky for arbitrary observation places) compute to let.

Contrary to temporally limited space flights, on those the time in accordance with mission Elapsed Time MET is measured, applies on the space station the time after UTC / GMT.

At the building of the space station also the ESA is involved beside American NASA, Russia , Japan , Brazil and Canada. However not all members takethe ESA at the eating program part - Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Austria and Finland did not take part from the outset, and Greece joined the ESA only later. Because of world-wide co-operation and the extensive investments those can EAT as the largest civilian international project of history to be designated. This has particularly after the end of the cold war and the entry of Russia to the project an important symbol value.

changing crew EAT

between November 2000 and April 2003 was the station, although not yet completely finished, permanently alsoa dreiköpfigen crew inhabits. After a period spent of in each case five to seven months the crew was replaced from a new.

After the misfortune of the space shuttle Columbia at the 1. February 2003 became the crew EATS starting from the eating expedition 7for supplying reasons to two persons reduces. There the space shuttle-flights only since that 26. July 2005 to be again taken up knew, the further development EAT provisionally stopped, only the supply of the station by Russian and (starting from 2007) also EuropeanSupply ships one guarantees. After the NASA planning conditions from July 2004 the completion of the station will last at least to 2010.

To 25. June 2004 had to break the crew off a space trip after 14 minutes, because it to technical problems during the oxygen supply toSpace suit one of the astronauts came.

To 28. April 2005 communicated the ESA that German the Thomas's rider was to become the first European, to the one long-term mission on EATS completed. So far ESA astronauts had themselves always only for few days upthat EAT stopped. Rider is to fly in the second quarter 2006 with the shuttle mission STS-121 to the space station and six to seven months later with STS-116 return.

final development

diagram EAT after its planned completion (original configuration)

EATshould be in their final development with 107 meters span of the solar cell panels, 80 m and 500 tons of mass the largest space station, which was so far built. At present (July 2005) the mass amounts to EATS round 183 tons. Already now is the station the largest and shine-strongest artificial object in the earth orbit.

Beside the actual space station are to belong to the complex still another transportation of passengers system (CTV), a small European spaceship (Inspector) and several rescue vehicles (CRV). The station becomes depending upon need by spaceShuttle, which supplies Russian Soyuz and Progress and in the future also the Japanese HTV. Also Europe starts a large unmanned cargo ship , which is to probably fly starting from 2007 once a year with the Ariane 5 and the ATV.

Which the project altogetherwill cost, is disputed. After NASA had to make various corrections upward with the initial amount of 40 billion US Dollar, it publishes today no more new cost estimations.Sigmar Wittig, chairman of the German center for air and space travel (DLR), estimatedthe total costs on approximately 100 billion dollar.

The following modules were installed already or are planned:

technical data to EAT

• Mass in the final development:
  • Span: 108.6 m
  • length: 79.9 m
  • depth: 88 m
  • volume: 1,140 m ³
  • mass: 450 t
• orbit:
  • Flight altitude: approx. 360 km over NN
  • orbit: 51.6 degreesInclination/equator
  • earth revolution: 90 minutes
  • relative velocity: 29,000 km/h
• power supply in the final development:
  • Electrical achievement: 110 kilowatts
  • of solar cell surface: 4,500 m ²

structure chronicle and crews

projects

• primary atomic reference clock in space
• fast duplication of complementary DNS by polymerase nuclear chain reaction
• co-ordinated group of atomic clocks in space

see also

• list of the eating expeditions
• list of manned missions unmanned to the international
• space station listSpace travel Russian space travel [
• work on] manned missions
• to the international space station
• list of the manned
• space missions list
• of the space shuttle missions list
• of the Soyuz missions list
• of the space walks

Web on the left of

Commons: International space station - pictures, videos and/or audio files

Wikinews: Portal: International space station -current message

• eating side of NASA (English)
• Raumfahrer.net - large eating column
• Heavens Above - overview of the observation possibilities EAT (English)
• current position EAT
• eat left for instruction and school on the North-Rhine/Westphalia education server
• of the Telepolis: Quo VadISS?- The odyssey of the international ones Space station
• photo of NASA to EAT - also in high resolution
• real-time DATA orbitally Tracking of NASA - real time pursuit of the flight path EAT