The ambitious ISS has been likened in difficulty to building a pyramid
in the zero gravity or weightlessness of outer space. When completely
assembled, the ISS will have a mass of nearly 1 million pounds (454,000
kilograms) and will be about 360 feet (110 meters) across by 290 feet (88
meters) long, making it much wider than the length of a football field.
This large scale means that it can provide 46,000 cubic feet (1,300 cubic
meters) of pressurized living and working space for a crew of seven scientists
and engineers. This amount of usable space is greater than the volume
of the passenger cabin and cargo hold of a huge Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
This massive structure will get its power from nearly an acre of
solar panels spread out on four photovoltaic (pronounced foe-toe-vole-
TAY-ik) modules. These solar arrays rotate to always face the Sun and
can convert sunlight into electricity that can be stored in batteries. The
station will have fifty-two computers controlling its many systems.
The main components of the ISS are the Service Module, which is
Russia’s first contribution, and then six scientific laboratories (one American,
one European Space Agency, one Japanese, and three Russian labs).
The other major contributor is Canada, which is providing a 55-foot-long
(16.7-meter-long) robotic arm for assembly and other maintenance tasks.
The United States also has the responsibility for developing and ultimately
operating all the major elements and systems aboard the station. More
than forty space flights over five years will be required to deliver these
and many other space station components to the orbiting altitude of 250
miles (402 kilometers) above Earth.
in the zero gravity or weightlessness of outer space. When completely
assembled, the ISS will have a mass of nearly 1 million pounds (454,000
kilograms) and will be about 360 feet (110 meters) across by 290 feet (88
meters) long, making it much wider than the length of a football field.
This large scale means that it can provide 46,000 cubic feet (1,300 cubic
meters) of pressurized living and working space for a crew of seven scientists
and engineers. This amount of usable space is greater than the volume
of the passenger cabin and cargo hold of a huge Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
This massive structure will get its power from nearly an acre of
solar panels spread out on four photovoltaic (pronounced foe-toe-vole-
TAY-ik) modules. These solar arrays rotate to always face the Sun and
can convert sunlight into electricity that can be stored in batteries. The
station will have fifty-two computers controlling its many systems.
The main components of the ISS are the Service Module, which is
Russia’s first contribution, and then six scientific laboratories (one American,
one European Space Agency, one Japanese, and three Russian labs).
The other major contributor is Canada, which is providing a 55-foot-long
(16.7-meter-long) robotic arm for assembly and other maintenance tasks.
The United States also has the responsibility for developing and ultimately
operating all the major elements and systems aboard the station. More
than forty space flights over five years will be required to deliver these
and many other space station components to the orbiting altitude of 250
miles (402 kilometers) above Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment