The distance from the Earth to the ISS is a variable figure, the value of which is constantly changing. The height at which a space station flies from the Earth may seem insignificant, given the distances that separate near and far space from the planet. However, the distance from our planet to the ISS station is not random value. It was chosen taking into account individual circumstances, expediency, economy and cost, and the features of the Earth's atmosphere, which can slow down orbital movement, were also taken into account.

international space station

What is a space station

To understand why exactly such a distance to the ISS from the Earth in kilometers was chosen when it was created, you need to know a little about the history of the project. The ISS, or International Space Station, is a joint multi-purpose undertaking with the participation of 14 world states - Russian Federation, the American continent (USA and Canada), Japan, Scandinavian countries, European countries - France, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany.

England and Brazil, which announced support for the startup at the beginning of the project, subsequently abandoned it. Here are some facts from the history of the ISS:

1. The Mir station was originally called Freedom and was planned to be created by the joint efforts and investments of Western countries.
2. After R. Reagan pompously announced the opening of a new multi-purpose project, the result of which was to be a manned orbital station, it turned out that the participating countries did not have enough funds for its development and implementation. Therefore, Russia was asked to work for its creation. It was a decision taken not only on the basis of financial deficit, but also for practical reasons.
3. The Americans did not have the experience of transporting the necessary and delivering the modules that the shuttles were supposed to deal with. It was also associated with technical specifications shuttles and the ability to overcome the distance from the Earth to the space station (ISS). The problem was that they could not overcome the distance barrier to the ISS orbit.
4. At the successor Soviet Union and the owner of numerous developments of that period in space exploration had such experience. Stations "Salyut" and "Mir", numerous plans for the implementation of the "Mir-2" project, suspended due to reported financial difficulties - all this could have been of significant help in a pompous undertaking.

4 years after the conclusion of the cooperation agreement, after overcoming numerous bureaucratic obstacles and outright hostility towards the Russian side, space project was finally accepted by both sides.

The configuration of the new joint project was supposed to be executed in the form of two segments - American and made by Russia.

Moreover, the latter was proposed for independent implementation, and the Japanese, Canadians, Spaniards and Belgians, Scandinavian countries, Brazil participated in the American one.

planet view

Stages of creating the ISS: table of events

The colossal orbital complex was created taking into account several significant points: the limited funds allocated by some Western countries and the constant changes in their plans, which were sometimes made for purely political reasons.

Read also: How can you determine the distance to the stars: measurements by formula in astronomy

It was a clear demonstration of the desire of the people of science to work on the joint exploration of space in the interests of all mankind and the ambitions of politicians, for whom these ambitions were more important, and the confrontation turned out to be profitable. In general, the station was created by mutual efforts, but this is more clearly demonstrated in the table below.

Year	RF	USA
1998	The launch base element of the ISS was launched into orbit (Proton-K, the Russian rocket delivered the FGB Zarya)	The Unity module was successfully transported by shuttle
2000	The Zvezda module was successfully reunited with Zarya, and the Soyuz TM-31 TPK arrived aboard the ISS with crews of staged expeditions	-
2001	-	Destiny module delivered by shuttle Atlantis
2003	Delivery of necessary cargo by Russian TGC Progress to the ISS	There was a disaster "Columbia", which led to the impossibility of delivering cargo to supply the US segment
2005	-	There was a successful launch of Discovery, the resumption of flights to the ISS
2006	-	A cosmonaut was delivered from Germany, as well as equipment was transported
2007	-	The Harmony module was docked to the Unity for the first time
2008	-	There were modules "Columbus" from ESA and "Kibo" - from Japan
2009	Soyuz TMA-14 and Soyuz TMA-15 delivered 2 crews to the ISS, the Poisk module was also docked - a berth for Russian ships and scientific work	-
2010	IM "Rassvet" docked to the ISS	-

In 2016, the International Space Station orbited the planet 100,000 times.

Russia plans to replace one of the modules with Pirs, delivering 2 modules, and then 2 more NEM, although there have been statements about the termination Russian participation in project development. The ISS is planned to remain in Earth orbit until 2024, and then to be flooded in Pacific waters.

At what altitude does the ISS fly?

For the first time, the announced distance to the ISS in km does not inspire enthusiasm in supporters of the systematic development of the Universe and readers of science fiction novels, who habitually operate with the concepts of “light year” and “parsec”.

This is an unstable value that changes depending on the circumstances. It is not possible to unequivocally answer at what distance the ISS is from the Earth. But at the same time, this figure fluctuates within certain limits.

Maximum removal

The creators of the project are confident that such a distance is quite enough for scientific experiments by researchers who are constantly present in outer space. They motivate this by the following factors:

1. The conditions of weightlessness, the spatial horizon, the absence of atmospheric interference, and even the designation that a person is in space - these are the bonuses for which the declared distance is quite enough. The lack of necessary funding or the simple limitation of the allocated funds also determine the limits to which it is possible to launch a station that will be permanently in orbit. After all, transport modules must constantly fly there in order to ensure its activity and the existence of people on board, as well as to deliver the necessary equipment for scientific experiments.
2. Save on construction, reduce the distance to earth's surface in a project aimed at the benefit of all mankind, seems ridiculous to dreamers, but quite reasonable politicians who allocate much more money for other purposes.
3. Russia could change the orbit and increase the distance from the Earth to the Mir station - for this there are developments, experience and technical capabilities. But the original reason why such a distance was chosen lies in the technical capabilities of the American shuttles, which could not rise above 353 km. The minimum distance of 340 kilometers from the Earth was chosen due to the fact that this is practically the maximum possible distance for US modules. In 2011, it was 353 km, but after three years their TM could approach 417 km. However, it was decided not to change the flight altitude in orbit, since the calculations for it were carried out in advance.

satellites

The flight takes place at an altitude of 340 to 400 km. It is these figures that correspond to the minimum and maximum distances from the Earth's surface, despite the fact that rarefied particles are still present here. earth's atmosphere, slowing down the flight of the orbital station.

Read also: What is the distance from Earth to space: km from the open surface

From the ISS, you can watch online video, a specially installed outdoor camera is constantly broadcasting. Those who are interested can see what the Sun looks like in an almost atmosphereless space, as well as observe the stars and the Earth's satellite.

Without resorting to the camera, you can see the station from the surface of the planet. For this, the World Information Network has special links indicating the time of passage over the terrestrial segments.

Working day on the ISS

But this can only be done with a clear sky and at night, and even without proper experience it will be somewhat difficult to find a luminous point in the sky. And numerous photos posted in the media mass media, will not convey the charm of space and its rather dangerous atmosphere for humans.

Although to make them at such a distance is already a great achievement. And it became possible only thanks to talented people who managed to develop equipment that can work flawlessly at an altitude of 340-400 kilometers from the Earth.

Models of transport ships

Watch a video on this topic.

Reasons for changing distances

The question of how many kilometers is the distance from the Earth to the ISS in this particular period of time can only be answered by the arithmetic mean. This is 370 kilometers. The maximum that the orbital station reaches is 400 km, the minimum is 340, and the average distance is 370 km.

Space researchers note that the distance must be changed periodically, because at the minimum the station is slowed down by the influence of the earth's atmosphere.

If it were permanently at an altitude of four hundred kilometers, such deceleration would be practically absent. But the ISS was designed taking into account the means of delivery that existed at that time.

planetary orbits

A lot has changed since then:

• the power and technical equipment of new space shuttles and modules have increased, so it is no coincidence that the ISS is going to be removed from orbit in 2024, and Russia refuses to participate in the project 4 years earlier;
• this also happens for the simple reason that such a range is not open space. The ISS flies in the thermosphere, and in addition to it, there is also the exosphere, which begins at a distance of 690 km;
• a manned object cannot fly lower than 200 km, because the air there strongly slows it down, but it is also unlikely above 500 km, because radiation will greatly affect human crews.

The dimensions of the ISS are sufficient for its observation with the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. The station is seen as highly bright Star, rapidly flying across the sky from west to east (angular velocity of about 4 degrees per minute). However, you can watch it not everywhere and not always, even if you do it in the dark. Since the orbit of the International Space Station is constantly changing (we will consider the factors affecting this below), to clarify the places on Earth where the ISS can be observed at a certain point in time, you need to watch this website or site Roscosmos. And these changes in observation areas are happening, which is why ...

Firstly, the ISS can be located at an altitude of 280 to 460 kilometers. Even in such a high orbit, it constantly experiences the braking effect of the upper, very rarefied layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Yes, yes, and in the near space there are particles of air! Every day, the ISS loses about 5 cm / s of its speed and about 100 meters of height. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to raise the station, burning the fuel of Progress space trucks and other incoming ships. And why can't the station be immediately raised higher to avoid these costs?

The fact is that the range laid down during the design and the current real position of the orbit are determined by several reasons.

First, daily our cosmonauts, as well as astronauts from other countries (USA, Europe, Canada, Japan, etc.) receive fairly high doses of radiation in this orbit. But beyond the mark of 500 km, its level rises sharply and it becomes simply deadly

By the way, the Soviet crew of Belyaev and Leonov almost died in 1965, when, contrary to calculations, their Voskhod-2 spacecraft was thrown into orbit 495 kilometers, so that the USSR could get two dead cosmonauts instead of the heroic Leonov spacewalk.

The half-year stay limit for astronauts is set at just 1/2 sievert, while only a sievert is allowed for an entire space career (each sievert of radiation exposure increases the risk of cancer by 5.5 percent).

On Earth, people are protected from deadly cosmic rays by the radiation belt of our planet's magnetosphere and its atmosphere, but in near space the protection is already much weaker. In some parts of the orbit (the South Atlantic anomaly, for example, is such a patch of increased radiation), strange effects can sometimes appear: in humans, when closed eyes flashes appear. It is believed that cosmic particles pass through the eyeball. This can not only interfere with sleep, but once again unpleasantly reminds you of high level radiation on the ISS.

In addition, the Russian Soyuz and Progress, which are now the main crew change and supply ships, are certified to operate at an altitude of up to 460 km. The higher the ISS is, the correspondingly less cargo can be delivered. But, on the other hand, the lower the ISS “hangs”, the more it slows down, that is, more of the delivered cargo should be fuel for the subsequent correction of the orbit.

Plus (or rather, minus) - before the ISS was not exposed to heights even of 390-400 km, since American shuttles could not rise to such an orbit. Therefore, the station was kept at altitudes of 330-350 km by more frequent periodic corrections by engines. Due to the end of the shuttle flight program in 2014, this restriction was finally lifted.

Scientific tasks can thus be carried out most ideally at an altitude of 400-460 kilometers. This is why the average orbital altitude of the ISS is currently approximately 420 km. Naturally, the higher the altitude, the greater part of the Earth can simultaneously observe the station. True, in this case, its apparent value will also fall!

Finally, space debris also affects the position of the station: failed rockets, satellites, their fragments, which have a huge speed relative to the ISS, which makes a collision with them destructive.

Spacecraft located at the rear of the station can accelerate the ISS: these are Progress trucks (mostly) and ATV (less often), if necessary, the Zvezda service module and Cygnus (extremely rare). The station is raised frequently and slightly: the correction occurs about once a month in small portions (about 900 seconds of engine operation), and the rise itself can reach, for example, 100-200 meters.

Some parameters of the orbit are dictated not only by technical features, but also by political realities. It is possible to give the spacecraft any orientation when launched from the Earth, but it will be most economical to use the speed that the Earth's rotation gives. Thus, it is cheaper to launch a vehicle into an orbit with an inclination equal to the latitude. Any maneuvers and transition to a different slope will require additional fuel consumption: more for moving towards the equator, less for moving towards the poles. An ISS orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees may seem strange: NASA spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral traditionally have an inclination of about 28 degrees. This is because when the location of the future ISS station was discussed in the late nineties, the decision was made to accept Russian orbital parameters. However, if the Baikonur Cosmodrome is located at a latitude of approximately 46 degrees, why then is it common for Russian launches to have an inclination of 51.6°?! The point here is solely that there are neighbors to the east (Mongolia and China), which, of course, will not be happy if something starts falling on them from space. And with regular rocket launches, this would happen all the time ...

Watching the ISS station flying across our sky as a bright star always delights and delights. After all, today she is the main thing space achievement humanity, successfully operating for more than 20 years. Let's believe that the International Space Station will give the greatest possible positive balance from its existence. And, of course, even if one day, when the resource of the nodes included in it is completely exhausted, the current ISS will be replaced by a new similar, even more advanced project of international cooperation. After all, Space can only be mastered by the efforts of all states and people of the Earth!

Alexey Korolyov, cosmonautics historian

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> 10 facts you didn't know about the ISS

Most Interesting Facts about the ISS(International Space Station) with a photo: the life of astronauts, you can see the ISS from Earth, crew members, gravity, batteries.

The International Space Station (ISS) is one of the greatest achievements of all mankind in terms of the state of the art in history. The space agencies of the USA, Europe, Russia, Canada and Japan united in the name of science and education. It is a symbol of technological excellence and shows how much we can achieve when we work together. Listed below are 10 facts you may not have heard about the ISS.

1. The ISS celebrated its 10th anniversary of continuous human operation on November 2, 2010. Starting from the first expedition (October 31, 2000) and docking (November 2), 196 people from eight countries visited the station.

2. The ISS can be seen from Earth without the use of technology, and it is the largest artificial satellite ever revolving around our planet.

3. From the first Zarya module, launched at 1:40 am ET on November 20, 1998, the ISS completed 68,519 Earth orbits. Her odometer reads 1.7 billion miles (2.7 billion km).

4. As of November 2, 103 launches were made to the cosmodrome: 67 Russian vehicles, 34 shuttles, one European and one Japanese vessel. 150 spacewalks were made to assemble the station and keep it running, which took over 944 hours.

5. The ISS is operated by a crew of 6 astronauts and cosmonauts. At the same time, the program of the station ensures the continuous presence of man in space since the launch of the first expedition on October 31, 2000, which is approximately 10 years and 105 days. Thus, the program has kept the current record, beating the previous mark of 3664 days set aboard the Mir.

6. The ISS serves as a research laboratory equipped with microgravity conditions, in which the crew conducts experiments in the field of biology, medicine, physics, chemistry and physiology, as well as astronomical and meteorological observations.

7. The station is equipped with huge solar panels, the size of which covers the territory of the US football field, including the end zone, and weighs 827,794 pounds (275,481 kg). The complex has a habitable room (like a five bedroom house) equipped with two bathrooms and a gym.

8. 3 million lines of code software on Earth, 1.8 million lines of flight code are supported.

9. A 55-foot robotic arm is capable of lifting 220,000 feet of weight. For comparison, this is how much an orbital shuttle weighs.

10. Acres of solar panels provide 75-90 kilowatts of power for the ISS.

We are talking about the fact that any object located in close proximity to the Earth is affected by its gravitational force. And if so, then it cannot stay in its orbit for a long time, and it will certainly fall to the surface if it does not burn out in the upper atmosphere before that. The same fate, in theory, should befall the ISS, which is located at a distance of 400 kilometers from the surface of the planet. But even such a solid distance cannot save the space station from the force earth's gravity. But then how is it kept in a stationary orbit for such a long time?

Let's first understand what the International Space Station is. This is a complex modular design, weighing 400 tons. If we talk about its size, then they are about the same as an American football field. It took 13 years to assemble such a structure. During this time, a lot of work has been done, which includes: numerous launches of space cargo ships"Progress", American "Shuttle", exit of astronauts in outer space. At the moment, the cost of the International Space Station is more than 150 billion US dollars. Six cosmonauts are constantly at the station, who are representatives of different countries peace.

But let's return to our original question, and try to figure out why the station, under the influence of gravitational forces, does not fall to the surface of the Earth.

In fact, she is slowly falling. During the year, its decline reaches two kilometers. And if not for the correction of the orbit, then we would have said goodbye to it long ago. It is timely adjustment that allows the ISS to remain in a stationary orbit. You will not believe, but such a complex and heavy structure has the highest mobility. She can change orbital parameters, move in all directions, and even turn over if necessary, in order, for example, to dodge various space objects including space debris.

All movements are carried out using special engines called gyrodines. There are four at the station. In order to orient the station or correct its orbit, a command comes from the Earth to launch them, after which the station begins its movement. A special operator is responsible for such a responsible operation. His responsibility includes not only timely correction of the ISS orbit, but also ensuring its safety, in order to prevent collisions with meteorites and space debris. Similar boosters and engines are available on Progress cargo spacecraft that dock to the ISS. With their help, you can also adjust its orbit.

The operator also monitors the mass of the station. Without this, it is impossible to accurately calculate the herodyne thrust, which should not be less than 1 m/s. The mass of the station is constantly changing. As a rule, this happens at the moment the next Progress cargo ship is docked to it, which delivers a payload on board. Cosmonauts do not take any part in the process of the planned relocation of the station. Everything is controlled by an operator from Earth.

The ISS is the successor to the MIR station, the largest and most expensive object in the history of mankind.

What is the size of the orbital station? How much does it cost? How do astronauts live and work on it?

We will talk about this in this article.

What is the ISS and who owns it

The International Space Station (MKS) is an orbital station used as a multipurpose space complex.

This is a scientific project in which 14 countries take part:

• Russian Federation;
• USA;
• France;
• Germany;
• Belgium;
• Japan;
• Canada;
• Sweden;
• Spain;
• Netherlands;
• Switzerland;
• Denmark;
• Norway;
• Italy.

In 1998, the creation of the ISS began. Then the first module was launched Russian missile"Proton-K". Subsequently, other participating countries began to deliver other modules to the station.

Note: in English, the ISS is written as ISS (decoding: International Space Station).

There are people who are convinced that the ISS does not exist, and all space flights are filmed on Earth. However, the reality of the manned station was proven, and the theory of deception was completely refuted by scientists.

The structure and dimensions of the international space station

The ISS is a huge laboratory designed to study our planet. At the same time, the station is home to the astronauts working in it.

The station is 109 meters long, 73.15 meters wide and 27.4 meters high. The total weight of the ISS is 417,289 kg.

How much does an orbital station cost

The cost of the object is estimated at 150 billion dollars. This is by far the most expensive development in human history.

Orbit height and flight speed of the ISS

The average altitude at which the station is located is 384.7 km.

The speed is 27,700 km/h. The station performs a complete revolution around the Earth in 92 minutes.

Time at the station and crew working hours

The station operates according to London time, the working day for the astronauts begins at 6 am. At this time, each crew establishes contact with their country.

Crew reports can be listened to online. The working day ends at 19 pm London time .

Flight path

The station moves around the planet along a certain trajectory. There is a special map that shows which section of the path the ship is passing at a given time. This map also shows different parameters - time, speed, altitude, latitude and longitude.

Why doesn't the ISS fall to Earth? In fact, the object falls to the Earth, but misses, as it constantly moves at a certain speed. It is required to regularly raise the trajectory. As soon as the station loses some of its speed, it gets closer and closer to the Earth.

What is the temperature outside the ISS

The temperature is constantly changing and directly depends on the light and shade environment. In the shade, it stays at about -150 degrees Celsius.

If the station is located under the influence of direct sunlight, then the temperature overboard is +150 degrees Celsius.

Temperature inside the station

Despite fluctuations overboard, the average temperature inside the ship is 23 - 27 degrees Celsius and completely suitable for human habitation.

Astronauts sleep, eat, play sports, work and rest at the end of the working day - the conditions are close to the most comfortable for being on the ISS.

What do astronauts on the ISS breathe?

The primary task in creating the ship was to provide the astronauts with the conditions necessary to maintain full breathing. Oxygen is obtained from water.

A special system called "Air" takes carbon dioxide and throws him overboard. Oxygen is replenished by electrolysis of water. The station also has oxygen tanks.

How long is the flight from the spaceport to the ISS

In terms of flight time, it takes a little more than 2 days. There is also a short 6-hour scheme (but it is not suitable for cargo ships).

The distance from Earth to the ISS is between 413 and 429 kilometers.

Life on the ISS - what astronauts do

Each crew is scientific experiments by order from the research institutes of their country.

There are several types of such studies:

• educational;
• technical;
• environmental;
• biotechnology;
• biomedical;
• study of living and working conditions in orbit;
• exploration of space and planet Earth;
• physical and chemical processes in space;
• study solar system and others.

Who is on the ISS now

At the moment, the composition continues to keep watch in orbit: Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev, Serena Auñón-Chancellor from the USA and Alexander Gerst from Germany.

The next launch was scheduled from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 11, but due to an accident, the flight did not take place. At the moment, it is not yet known which of the astronauts will fly to the ISS and when.

How to get in touch with the ISS

In fact, anyone has a chance to contact the international space station. This will require special equipment:

• transceiver;
• antenna (for the frequency range of 145 MHz);
• rotary device;
• a computer that will calculate the orbit of the ISS.

Today, every astronaut has high-speed Internet. Most specialists contact friends and family via Skype, maintain personal pages on Instagram and Twitter, Facebook, where they post amazing beautiful pictures our green planet.

How many times does the ISS circle the Earth in a day

The speed of rotation of the ship around our planet - 16 times a day. This means that in one day the astronauts can meet the sunrise 16 times and watch the sunset 16 times.

The rotation speed of the ISS is 27,700 km/h. This speed does not allow the station to fall to Earth.

Where is the ISS at the moment and how to see it from Earth

Many are interested in the question: is it possible to see the ship with the naked eye? Due to the constant orbit and large size, anyone can see the ISS.

You can see the ship in the sky both day and night, but it is recommended to do it at night.

In order to find out the time of flight over your city, you need to subscribe to the NASA newsletter. You can monitor the movement of the station in real time thanks to the special Twisst service.

Conclusion

If you see a bright object in the sky, it is not always a meteorite, comet or star. Knowing how to distinguish the ISS with the naked eye, you definitely can't go wrong with a celestial body.

You can learn more about the ISS news, see the movement of the object on the official website: http://mks-online.ru.