Fun Facts About the International Space Station

Discover the amazing facts about the International Space Station (ISS), the largest structure ever built in space. The ISS is constructed from multiple independent sections called modules—self-contained units like laboratories and living quarters that snap together, much like a giant, high-tech LEGO set. This football-field-sized orbiting outpost, which measures 356 feet (109 meters) long, is the most expensive single object ever built, with costs estimated at over $150 billion shared by 15 countries. It took over 30 space missions, starting with Russia's Zarya module in 1998, to assemble. The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes at an incredible speed of about 17,500 miles per hour, causing the crew to experience an astonishing 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. Essential for long-duration missions, the ISS uses a high-tech water recovery system to recycle about 65% of all moisture, including astronauts' sweat and urine, into safe, clean drinking water. Finally, the feeling of weightlessness in space is not due to zero gravity—gravity on the ISS is almost 90% as strong as on Earth. Instead, astronauts are in a constant state of freefall while traveling sideways at high speed, a condition scientists call microgravity. The ISS is so reflective you can easily spot it from your backyard. At its brightest, the ISS is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. Want to learn more? Head over to my website www.funfactsdailypod.com and be sure to listen to my other podcasts Who ARTed: Weekly Art History for All Ages or Art Smart. For family fun, check out my son's podcast Rainbow Puppy Science Lab Fun Facts Daily is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices