The Story : Space Stations - II

Space Stations - II

Mir

In the Russian language, mir means "world," "peace," and "village." Mir was also the name of the longest-lasting space station in history.
 
 
 
 

Mir was built in Earth orbit by connecting a series of seven main modules. The Soviet Union launched the first module in February 1986. The launch happened a few weeks after the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

By the time the last module was launched in 1996, the Soviet Union no longer existed. In 1991, the country broke up into a number of smaller nations, including Russia.
 
Learn more about Mir.

The 91-tonne (100-ton) Mir was as big as 6 school buses. Inside, it looked like a cramped maze. Mir was crowded with hoses, cables, and scientific instruments.

Mir also held everyday items such as photos, children's drawings, books, and a guitar.

Mir often housed three crew members. But sometimes as many as six people lived on the station for up to a month. Except for two short periods, Mir was always occupied until August 1999.

Astronaut Shannon Lucid narrates a tour of the Mir space station. Lucid set an American record of 188 days in orbit on Mir in 1996. NASA video.

Between 1994 and 1998, Russia and the United States worked together during the Shuttle-Mir Program. In this program, U.S. space shuttles visited Mir 10 times as it orbited 400 kilometres (250 miles) above Earth.

The combination of Mir and a shuttle created a large scientific laboratory in space. The shuttles provided transportation and supplies. They also temporarily increased the amount of room for living and working.

Mir and the shuttle created history's largest spacecraft. Its combined mass was more than 225 tonnes (250 tons).

Mir had more than its share of problems during its lifetime. The station survived insulation problems, a fire, and collisions with other spacecraft. Microbes attacked its wiring and glass.

And despite being in space for more than a decade, Mir accomplished little in the field of science.

Mir astronaut Jerry Linenger describes the fire that took place while he was onboard in February 1997. NASA video.

But in other ways, Mir was a great success. The Russians and Americans learned a great deal about how to live in space for long periods.

One Russian cosmonaut, Valeri Polyakov, lived continuously on Mir for a record 437 days, 17 hours and 38 minutes.

The two countries also learned more about the long-term effects of microgravity. Mir was home to the first crop of wheat to be grown from seed to seed in outer space.

Mir Astronaut David Wolf discusses the lessons of the Shuttle-Mir program. NASA video.

Mir also provided a chance for Russia and the U.S. to learn to work together. After a period of warmer relations in the 1970s, tension increased between the two countries in the early 1980s.

The Shuttle-Mir program required long-term co-operation between the two countries. That co-operation improved their relationship.

And because of all the problems on Mir, the station was the scene of much drama. Mir was a stage for acts of courage and moments of panic. Joyous reunions and months of grim struggle were also part of the performance.

Despite the problems and inconveniences, many cosmonauts and astronauts grew to love Mir. They compared the station to a living being that had its own personality, needs, and quirks.

The 15-year-old space station ended its journey on March 23, 2001. On that date, Russian ground controllers directed Mir to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.

The station broke up and burned as it descended. About 25 tonnes of wreckage crashed into the South Pacific near Fiji.
 
Learn more about the Shuttle-Mir program.

International Space Station

Today, thousands of people from 16 countries are working together to build the International Space Station. The station is the largest space laboratory in history.
 

Building a Home in Space

The station is being assembled in space like a giant Lego kit. It orbits 400 kilometres (250 miles) above the Earth. More than 50 missions will be required to transport crews, supplies, and more than 100 building blocks to the station.

Assembly began in 1998 and is expected to wrap up in 2006. When complete, the station will be four times as large as the Russian Mir space station.

This animation shows the sequence of assembly of the International Space Station. NASA animation.

Days pass by quickly on the International Space Station. The station zooms around our planet at about 28 000 kilometres per hour (17 400 miles per hour). At this speed, the astronauts aboard orbit Earth once every 90 minutes. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.

This animation shows a flyaround of the International Space Station. NASA animation.

Once complete, the station will span an area as large as a football field. When extended, its solar panels will span a distance of 108 metres (118 yards). The main body of the station will be almost 80 metres (87 yards) long.

The inside of the station will be about the size of three average houses. Put another way, that's about the size of the interior of a Boeing 747 jet.

People and Research

During construction, the station will be home and workplace for three crew members. Once complete, the station will be able to house 7 crew members for up to 6 months at a time.

Staffing the station for long periods will allow for long-term scientific research and experiments. The station will contain six laboratories for research. These laboratories will allow astronauts to work in space for longer than ever before.

Research on the station will include medical studies as well as many other scientific studies. For example, researchers will study the effects of long-term weightlessness on human bones, hearts, and muscles.

Other experiments will produce materials in space that cannot be made on Earth because of gravity. Scientists expect that these experiments will lead to discoveries that will benefit people all over the world.

The station also serves as a crucial step toward future human space exploration.

International Co-operation

Sixteen countries from around the world are working together to build the International Space Station. The co-operating countries and their space organizations are:

  • the United States (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA)
  • 11 European countries (European Space Agency, ESA)
    • Belgium
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • the United Kingdom
  • Brazil (Brazilian Space Agency, AEB)
  • Canada (Canadian Space Agency, CSA)
  • Japan (National Space Development Agency, NASDA)
  • Russia (Russian Space Agency, RKA)

This colour-coded image shows which country is building each component of the International Space Station.
 
 

United States

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the space agency of the United States. NASA will supply many of the station's parts, including:

NASA is in charge of power supply, communications, temperature control, life-support systems, and the health of the crew. The agency is also providing use of the space shuttles to ferry people and supplies to and from the station.

And NASA is developing the X-38 crew return vehicle. A crew return vehicle acts as a "lifeboat" in case of emergencies.

Europe

The European Space Agency is designing and building a research laboratory called the Columbus Orbital Facility. The ESA will also use its rocket, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, to send supplies up to the space station.
 
 

Brazil

Brazil is providing a special platform for conducting experiments in the open environment of space. Brazil will also build an Earth-observation facility.

Canada

Canada is providing a team of robots to the station. The team includes:

  • a 17-metre (55-foot) long robotic arm called the space station remote manipulator system (or Canadarm2)
  • a special purpose dexterous manipulator (or Canada Hand)
  • a mobile base system

This animation shows the International Space Station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, lifting an oxygen tank out of the shuttle Atlantis's payload bay. The arm then moves the tank up to the station's joint airlock where it will be installed. The mission took place in July 2001. NASA video.

The Canada Hand is a highly advanced robot with two arms. Much like a human hand, the Canada Hand has the ability to touch and feel.

The mobile base system (MBS) attaches the Canadarm2 to a small "railcar" called the mobile transporter. The U.S.-built mobile transporter will move the MBS, the Canadarm2, and the Canada Hand along tracks that run the width of the station.

The astronaut crew will use this system of robots to assemble, maintain, and service the station.

Japan

The Japanese Space Agency is providing an experiment module (or laboratory) called Kibo. Kibo will be used to conduct microgravity experiments both indoors and on a platform exposed to outer space.

Kibo includes a robotic arm for use in the exposed experiments. Japan will also provide a launch vehicle (rocket) called H-IIA and a transfer vehicle called H-II. The transfer vehicle will carry supplies to the station.

Russia

The Russian Space Agency is providing research modules, a service module (called Zvezda), and a science power platform. The power platform will carry eight solar-array wings.

Russia will also provide Progress vehicles and Soyuz spacecraft to carry crews and supplies to and from the station.

This animation shows a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docking with the International Space Station during ISS Expedition One in November 2000. NASA animation.

Learn more about the background of the International Space Station, or find out the latest news about the station.
 

next section : The Future