Speaker 1: Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, where I help
Speaker 1: you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host,
Speaker 1: Benjamin Boster, and today's episode is about the International Space Station.
Speaker 1: The International Space Stations is a space station in low
Speaker 1: Earth orbit l EO. It is a product of the
Speaker 1: International Space Station Program and is operated by five partner
Speaker 1: space agencies NASA, United States, ROSCOSMOS, Russia, ISSA, Europe, Jackson, Japan,
Speaker 1: and CSA Canada. It is a first space station built, maintained,
Speaker 1: and crewed through international cooperation, and the largest human spacecraft
Speaker 1: ever constructed. It is an orbital research station where scientific
Speaker 1: experiments in microgravity are conducted and the space environment is studied.
Speaker 1: Since November second, two thousand, it has hosted the longest
Speaker 1: continuous presence of humans in space, alongside Tiogong. It is
Speaker 1: one of the only two currently operational space stations. The
Speaker 1: station orbits between fifty one point sixty four degrees north
Speaker 1: and south at about four hundred kilometers above Earth, below
Speaker 1: the Van Allen radiation belts and most space debris. Its
Speaker 1: orbit takes it at seven point six seven kilometers per second,
Speaker 1: roughly every ninety three minutes around Earth fifteen point five
Speaker 1: times a day. Measuring one hundred nine meters by seventy
Speaker 1: three meters, it is as large as a full sized
Speaker 1: football or soccer field and has a pressurized internal volume
Speaker 1: of one thousand five hued meters, comparable to a Boeing
Speaker 1: seven forty seven airliner. The station is a modular space station,
Speaker 1: divided into two main sections, the Russian orbital segments developed
Speaker 1: by Roskosmos and the US orbital segment USOS built by NASA, ISSA,
Speaker 1: JEKSA and CSA. The Integrated Trust structure connects the station's
Speaker 1: vast system of solar panels and radiators to its sixteen
Speaker 1: major pressurized mind These modules support scientific research, crew, habitation, storage,
Speaker 1: spacecraft control, and air lock operations. The ISS has eight
Speaker 1: docking and birthing ports for visiting spacecraft. In total, the
Speaker 1: station consists of forty three different modules and elements. Crews
Speaker 1: visit via the Soyuz and Crew Dragon spacecraft and previously
Speaker 1: the Space Shuttle. Cargo supply craft include Progress, Cargo, Dragon,
Speaker 1: Sickness Automated Transfer Vehicle, and HTVX. The ISS is the
Speaker 1: political product of the development of international cooperation and space
Speaker 1: throughout the space age. The station combines two previously planned
Speaker 1: crude Earth orbiting stations, the United States Space station Freedom
Speaker 1: and the Soviet Union's mer II. The first is S
Speaker 1: S module was launched in nineteen ninety eight, with major
Speaker 1: components delivered by Proton soyuse and Space Shuttle launch vehicles.
Speaker 1: Long term occupancy began with the arrival of the Expedition
Speaker 1: one crew on November second, two thousand. Since then, the
Speaker 1: ISS has remained continuously inhabited for twenty five years and
Speaker 1: two hundred forty nine days, the longest continuous human presence
Speaker 1: in space. As of August twenty twenty five, two hundred
Speaker 1: and ninety individuals from twenty six countries had visited the station.
Speaker 1: Future plans for the ISS include the addition of at
Speaker 1: least one module, the Payload Power Thermal module, by Axiom Space,
Speaker 1: forming the commercial segment of the station. The station is
Speaker 1: expected to remain operational until the end of twenty thirty,
Speaker 1: by which parts of it are to be used for
Speaker 1: Axiom Station and the Russian Orbital Service Station. After this,
Speaker 1: the ISS is planned to be de orbited using the
Speaker 1: U S de orbit Vehicle, but critique of this plan
Speaker 1: and the proposal of parking the station at a more
Speaker 1: stable higher orbit has gathered congressional support as of twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six. The ISS was originally intended to be a laboratory, observatory,
Speaker 1: and factory, while providing transportation, maintenance, and a low Earth
Speaker 1: orbit staging base for possible future missions to the Moon, Mars,
Speaker 1: and asteroids. However, not all of the use is envisioned,
Speaker 1: and the initial memorandum of understanding between NASA and roscosmos
Speaker 1: have been realized. In the twenty ten United States National
Speaker 1: Space Policy, the ISS was given additional roles of serving commercial, diplomatic,
Speaker 1: and educational purposes. The ISS provides a platform to conduct
Speaker 1: scientific research, with power, data, cooling, and crew available to
Speaker 1: support experiments. Small uncrewed spacecraft can also provide platforms for experiments,
Speaker 1: especially those involving zero gravity and exposure to space, but
Speaker 1: space stations offer a long term environment where studies can
Speaker 1: be performed potentially for decades with ready access by human researchers.
Speaker 1: The ISS simplifies individual experiments by allowing groups of experiments
Speaker 1: to share the same launches and crew time. Research is
Speaker 1: conducted in a wide variety of fields, including astrobiology, astronomy,
Speaker 1: physical sciences, materials, science, space, weather, meteorology and human research,
Speaker 1: including space medicine and the life sciences. Scientists on Earth
Speaker 1: have timely access to the data and can suggest experimental
Speaker 1: modifications to the crew if follow on experiments are necessary.
Speaker 1: The routinely scheduled launches of resupply craft allows new hardware
Speaker 1: to be launched with relative ease. Crews fly expeditions of
Speaker 1: several months duration, providing approximately one hundred and sixty man
Speaker 1: hours per week of labor with a crew of six. However,
Speaker 1: a considerable amount of crew time is taken up by
Speaker 1: station maintenance. A notable ISS experiment is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer,
Speaker 1: which is intended to attact dark matter and answer other
Speaker 1: fundamental questions about the universe. According to NASA, the AMS
Speaker 1: is as important as a Hubble space telescope. It is
Speaker 1: docked on the station and could not have been easily
Speaker 1: accommodated on a free flying set satellite platform because of
Speaker 1: its power and bandless needs. On April third, twenty thirteen,
Speaker 1: scientists reported that hints of dark matter may have been
Speaker 1: detected by the AMS. According to these scientists, the first
Speaker 1: results from the space born Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer confirm an
Speaker 1: unexplained excess of high energy positrons and earth bound cosmic rays.
Speaker 1: The space environment is hostile to life. Unprotected presence and
Speaker 1: space results in exposure to intense radiation consisting primarily of
Speaker 1: protons and other sub atomic charged particles from the solar wind,
Speaker 1: in addition to cosmic rays, vacuum, extreme temperatures, and microgravity.
Speaker 1: Some simple forms of life call extremophiles, as well as
Speaker 1: small invertebrates called tartar grades, and survive in this environment
Speaker 1: in an extremely dry state through desiccation. Medical research improves
Speaker 1: knowledge about the effects of long term space exposure on
Speaker 1: the human body, including muscle atrophy, bone loss, and fluid shift.
Speaker 1: This data would be used to determine whether long lasting
Speaker 1: human space flight and space colonization is feasible. In two
Speaker 1: thousand six, data on bone loss and muscular atrophy suggested
Speaker 1: that there would be a significant risk of fractures and
Speaker 1: movement problems if astronauts landed on a planet after a
Speaker 1: lengthy interplanetary cruise, such as the six months interval required
Speaker 1: to travel to Mars. Medical studies are conducted aboard the
Speaker 1: iss on behalf of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute,
Speaker 1: an SBRI. Prominent Among these is the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound
Speaker 1: and Microgravity Study, in which astronauts perform ultrasound scans under
Speaker 1: the guidance of remote experts. The study considers the diagnosis
Speaker 1: and treatment of medical conditions in space. There is usually
Speaker 1: no physician on board the ISS, and diagnosis of medical
Speaker 1: conditions is a challenge. Is anticipated that remotely guided ultrasound
Speaker 1: scans will have application on Earth and emergency and rural
Speaker 1: care situations where in person acts as to a trained
Speaker 1: physician is difficult. In Augus twenty, scientists reported that bacteria
Speaker 1: from Earth, particularly Dianochicus radiodurans bacteria, which is highly resistant
Speaker 1: to environmental hazards, are found to survive for three years
Speaker 1: in outer space based on studies conducted on the International
Speaker 1: Space Station. These findings supported the notion of pansperma, the
Speaker 1: hypothesis that life exists throughout the universe, distributed in various
Speaker 1: ways including space dest meteoroids, asteroids, comets, planetoids, or contaminated spacecraft.
Speaker 1: Remote sensing of the Earth, astronomy and deep space research
Speaker 1: on the ISS have significantly increased during the twenty tens
Speaker 1: after the completion of the US orbital segment in twenty eleven.
Speaker 1: Throughout the more than twenty years of the ISS program,
Speaker 1: researchers aboard the ISS and on the ground have examined aerosols, ozone, lightning,
Speaker 1: and oxides in Earth's atmosphere, as well as the sun,
Speaker 1: cosmic rays, cosmic dust, antimatter, and dark matter in the universe.
Speaker 1: Examples of Earth viewing remote sensing experiments that have flown
Speaker 1: on the ISS are the Orbiting Carbon Observatory three ISS,
Speaker 1: Rapid scat Ecostress, the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, and the
Speaker 1: Cloud Aerosol Transport System. ISS based astronomy telescopes and experiments
Speaker 1: include SOLAR, the Neutron Star, Interior Compasses Explorer, the Calorimetric
Speaker 1: Electron Telescope, the Monitor of All Sky X ray Image,
Speaker 1: and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. Researchers are investigating the effect
Speaker 1: of the station's near weightless environment on the evolution, development, growth,
Speaker 1: and international processes of plants and animals. In response to
Speaker 1: some of the data, NASA wants to investigate microgravity's effects
Speaker 1: on the growth of three dimensional human like tissues and
Speaker 1: the unusual protein crystals that can be formed in space.
Speaker 1: Investigating the physics of fluids and microgravity will provide better
Speaker 1: models of the behavior of fluids. Because fluids can be
Speaker 1: almost completely combined in microgravity, Physicists investig gave fluids that
Speaker 1: do not mix well on Earth. Examining reactions that are
Speaker 1: slowed by low gravity and low temperatures will improve our
Speaker 1: understanding of superconductivity. The study of materials science is an
Speaker 1: important ISS research activity with the objective of reaping economic
Speaker 1: benefits through the improvement of techniques used on Earth. Other
Speaker 1: areas of interest include the effect of low gravity on
Speaker 1: combustion through the study of the efficiency of burning and
Speaker 1: control of emissions and pollutants. These findings may improve knowledge
Speaker 1: about energy production and lead to economic and environmental benefits.
Speaker 1: The International Space Station is a product of global collaboration,
Speaker 1: with its components manufactured across the world. The modules of
Speaker 1: the Russian orbital segment, including Zarya and Zviezda, were produced
Speaker 1: at the Krunachev State Research and Production Space Center in Moscow.
Speaker 1: Ziezda was initially manufactured in nineteen eighty five as a
Speaker 1: component for the Mirtu space station, which was never launched.
Speaker 1: Much of the U s orbital segment, including the Destiny
Speaker 1: and Unity modules, the integrated trust structure and solar arrays
Speaker 1: were built at NASA's Marshall's Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Speaker 1: Alabama and Michewed Assembly Facility in New Orleans. These components
Speaker 1: underwent final assembly and processing for launch at the Operations
Speaker 1: and check Out Building and the Space Station Processing Facility
Speaker 1: at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The U s
Speaker 1: orbital segment also hosts the Columbus module, contributed by the
Speaker 1: European Space Agency and built in Germany, the Kibo module,
Speaker 1: contributed by Japan and built at the Tukuba Space Center
Speaker 1: and the Institute of Space and Astronomical Science, along with
Speaker 1: the Canada arm Io and Dexter, a joint Canadian US endeavor.
Speaker 1: All of these components were shipped to the SSPF for
Speaker 1: launch processing. The assembly of the International Space Station, a
Speaker 1: major endeavor in space architecture, began in November nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1: Modules in the Russian segment launched and docked autonomously, with
Speaker 1: the exception of RASVED. Other modules and components were delivered
Speaker 1: by the Space Shuttle, which then had to be installed
Speaker 1: by astronauts either ru remotely using robotic arms or during
Speaker 1: space walks more formerly known as extra vehicular activities EVAs.
Speaker 1: By June five, two thousand eleven, astronauts had made over
Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty nine EVAs to add components to
Speaker 1: the station, totaling more than one thousand hours in space.
Speaker 1: The beginning of the core of the ISS's tenure in
Speaker 1: orbit was the launch of the Russian build Czarya module
Speaker 1: atop a Proton rocket on November twentieth, nineteen ninety eight.
Speaker 1: Zaria provided propulsion, communications, and electrical power. Two weeks later,
Speaker 1: on December fourth, nineteen ninety eight, the American mained UNITY
Speaker 1: was ferried aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor on st S eighty
Speaker 1: eight and joined with Zaria. Unity provided the connection between
Speaker 1: the Russian and US segments of the station and would
Speaker 1: provide ports to connect future modules and visiting spacecraft. The
Speaker 1: atmosphere on board the ISS is similar to that of Earth.
Speaker 1: Normal air pressure on the ISS is one hundred and
Speaker 1: one point three kilopescales, the same as at sea level
Speaker 1: on Earth. While the crew would remain healthy at a
Speaker 1: lower pressure, some equipment is very pressure sensitive. Double sided
Speaker 1: solar arrays provide electrical power to the ISS. These bifacial
Speaker 1: cells collect direct sunlight on one side and light reflected
Speaker 1: off from the Earth on the other, and are more
Speaker 1: efficient and operate at a lower temperature than single celled
Speaker 1: cells commonly used on Earth. The station originally used rechargeable
Speaker 1: nickel hydrogen batteries for continuous power during the forty five
Speaker 1: minutes of every ninety minute orbit that has eclipsed by
Speaker 1: the Earth. The batteries are recharged on the day side
Speaker 1: of the orbit. They had a six point five year
Speaker 1: lifetime and were regularly replaced over the anticipated twenty year
Speaker 1: life of the station. Starting in twenty sixteen, the nickel
Speaker 1: hydrogen batteries were replaced by lithium ion batteries, which are
Speaker 1: expected to last until the end of the ISS program.
Speaker 1: The ISS relies on various radio communication systems to provide
Speaker 1: telemetry and scientific data links between the station and mission
Speaker 1: control centers. Radiolinks are also used during rendezvous and docking procedures,
Speaker 1: and for audio and video communication between crew members, flight controllers,
Speaker 1: and family members. As a result, the ISS is equipped
Speaker 1: with internal and external communication systems used for different purposes.
Speaker 1: The US orbital segment of the ISS is equipped with
Speaker 1: approximately one hundred commercial off the shelf laptops running Windows
Speaker 1: or Linux. These devices are modified to use the station's
Speaker 1: twenty eight volt DC power system and with additional ventilation.
Speaker 1: Since heat generated by the devices can stagnate in the
Speaker 1: weightless environment, NASA prefers to keep a high commonality between
Speaker 1: laptops and spare parts are kept on the station so
Speaker 1: astronauts can repair laptops when needed. As of June twenty
Speaker 1: twenty three, thirteen individuals have paid for their own travel
Speaker 1: to visit the ISS. In news coverage, such travelers are
Speaker 1: often referred to as space tourists. However, many have objected
Speaker 1: to the term as they typically undergo professional training and
Speaker 1: conduct scientific, educational, or outreach activities while on orbit. Gravity
Speaker 1: at the altitude of the ISS is approximately ninety percent
Speaker 1: as strong as on Earth's surface, but objects in orbit
Speaker 1: are in continuous free fall, resulting in a state of
Speaker 1: weightlessness known as microgravity. This perceived weightlessness is disturbed by
Speaker 1: five effects. Drag from the residual atmosphere, vibration from the
Speaker 1: movements of mechanical systems in the crew, actuation of the
Speaker 1: onboard attitude control moment, gyroscopes, thrust firings for attitude or
Speaker 1: orbital changes, The living and working space aboard the International
Speaker 1: Space Station is larger than a six bedroom house, equipped
Speaker 1: with seven private sleeping quarters, three bathrooms, two dining rooms,
Speaker 1: a gym, and a panoramic three hundred and sixty degree
Speaker 1: view bay window. The station provides dedicated crew quarters for
Speaker 1: long term crew members. These soundproof, person sized booths offer privacy, ventilation,
Speaker 1: and basic amenities such as a sleeping bag, a reading lamp,
Speaker 1: and storage for personal items. Visiting crew members use tethered
Speaker 1: sleeping bags attached to available wall space or inside their spacecraft.
Speaker 1: While it is possible to sleep floating freely, this is
Speaker 1: generally avoided to prevent collisions with sensitive equipment. The station's
Speaker 1: lighting system is adjustable, allowing for dimming, switching off, and
Speaker 1: color temperature changes to support crew activities and rest. The
Speaker 1: ISS operates un coordinated Universal Time UTC. A typical day
Speaker 1: aboard the ISS begins at six hundred with wake up,
Speaker 1: post sleep routines and a morning inspection of the station.
Speaker 1: After breakfast, the crew holds a daily planning conference, with
Speaker 1: mission control starting work around eight ten. Morning tasks include
Speaker 1: scheduled exercise, scientific experiments, maintenance or operational duties. Following a
Speaker 1: one hour lunch break. At thirteen o five, the crew
Speaker 1: resumes their afternoon schedule of work and exercise. Pre sleep activities,
Speaker 1: including dinner and a crew conference, begin at nineteen thirty,
Speaker 1: with a scheduled sleep period starting at twenty one thirty.
Speaker 1: The crew works approximately ten hours on weekdays and five
Speaker 1: hours on Saturdays, with the remaining time allocated for relaxation
Speaker 1: or catching up on tasks. Free time often involves enjoined
Speaker 1: personal hobbies, communicating with family, or gazing out at Earth.
Speaker 1: Through the station's windows, the crew can watch TV aboard
Speaker 1: the station to simulate night conditions. The station's windows are
Speaker 1: covered during designated sleep periods, as the ISS experiences sixteen
Speaker 1: sunrises and sunsets daily due to its orbital speed. Reflection
Speaker 1: of individual and crewe characteristics are found, particularly in the
Speaker 1: decoration of the station and expressions in general, such as religion.
Speaker 1: Food aboard the International Space Station is preserved in package
Speaker 1: to withstand long storage times, minimize waste, and prevent contamination
Speaker 1: of station systems. Because microgravity dulls taste, meals are often
Speaker 1: seasoned more heavily than on Earth. Crews particularly look forward
Speaker 1: to resupply missions, which deliver perishable items such as fresh
Speaker 1: fruit and vegetables to reduce the risk of crumbs and spills,
Speaker 1: damage and equiped foods are prepared in specialized packaging. Liquid
Speaker 1: condiments are preferred over powdered ones, and containers are secured
Speaker 1: with velcro or magnets. Drinks are delivered as powders to
Speaker 1: be mixed with water, while soups and beverages are sipped
Speaker 1: from plastic bags with straws. Solid foods are eaten with
Speaker 1: utensils attached to trays by magnets, and any stray food
Speaker 1: must be collected to prevent it from clogging air filters
Speaker 1: and other systems. While crews occasionally gather for group meals
Speaker 1: in unity, especially during holidays or special occasions, they more
Speaker 1: often eat in small groups because of differing schedules. Russian
Speaker 1: cosmonauts also retain the option of dining separately in Sizda,
Speaker 1: where the Canwarmer is located. Was a growing diversity of
Speaker 1: Nessa's astronaut core and the large number of international astronauts
Speaker 1: who have flown to the ISS, the variety of food
Speaker 1: available has expanded significantly. Efforts are made to provide meals
Speaker 1: that reflect astronauts cultural backgrounds and personal preferences, and food
Speaker 1: is often shared among crew members. Experiments have also been
Speaker 1: conducted aboard the ISS to grow fresh vegetables in orbit.
Speaker 1: These studies aimed to supplement astronauts diets with additional nutrients,
Speaker 1: provide psychological benefits and advanced space agricultural techniques needed for
Speaker 1: long duration missions to the Moon and Mars. As of
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, crops grown include three types of lettuce,
Speaker 1: Chinese cabbage, mizzen A mustard, and red Russian khale. Some
Speaker 1: of the plants are harvested and eaten by the crew,
Speaker 1: while others were returned to Earth for analysis. In the future,
Speaker 1: NASA plants to grow tomatoes and peppers, and eventually berries, beans,
Speaker 1: and other nutrient rich foods. Such crops could offer not
Speaker 1: only improve nutrition, but also potential protection against space radiation
Speaker 1: for crew members who consume them. The is S is
Speaker 1: equipped with three Russian designed toilets located in Zviazda, Tranquility
Speaker 1: and Nauca. Inside these waste and hygiene compartments, the occupant
Speaker 1: fastens themselves to the toilet seed, which is equipped with
Speaker 1: spring loaded restraining bars to ensure a proper seal. A
Speaker 1: lever activates a powerful fan while opening A suction poured
Speaker 1: at the bottom of the toilet bowl and the air
Speaker 1: stream carries waste away. Solid waste is stored in individual
Speaker 1: bags placed in an aluminum container, which is later transferred
Speaker 1: to cargo spacecraft that will burn up on reentry. Liquid
Speaker 1: waste is collected through a hose with anatomically shaped funnel
Speaker 1: adapters so that both men and women can use the
Speaker 1: same system. The urine is diverted to the water recovery system,
Speaker 1: where it is processed into drinking water. Showers were first
Speaker 1: introduced on space stations in the early nineteen seventies aboard
Speaker 1: sky Lab and Solut three. However, crews complained about the
Speaker 1: complexity of showering, and by the time of Solute six
Speaker 1: in the early nineteen eighties, it had been reduced to
Speaker 1: a monthly activity. The ISS, like later Russian stations after,
Speaker 1: has no shower. Instead, astronauts clean themselves with wet wives
Speaker 1: or with a water jet and using soap dispense from
Speaker 1: a toothpaste like tube. Rinseless shampoo and edible toothpaste are
Speaker 1: also provided to conserve water.