Webcam at the International Space Station

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ibuki(Japanese: いぶき Ibuki, Breathing) is an Earth remote sensing satellite, the world's first spacecraft whose task is to monitor greenhouse gases. The satellite is also known as The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (“Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Satellite”), abbreviated as GOSAT. "Ibuki" is equipped with infrared sensors that determine the density carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. In total, seven different scientific instruments are installed on the satellite. Ibuki was developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA and launched on January 23, 2009 from Tanegashima. The launch was carried out using a Japanese H-IIA launch vehicle.

Video broadcast life on the space station includes interior view module, in the case when the astronauts are on duty. The video is accompanied by a live sound of negotiations between the ISS and MCC. Television is only available when the ISS is in contact with the ground on a high speed link. When the signal is lost, viewers can see a test image or a graphical map of the world, which shows the location of the station in orbit in real time. Because the ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, sunrise or sunset occurs every 45 minutes. When the ISS is in the dark, the outer cameras can display blackness, but can also show a breathtaking view of the city lights below.

International space station , abbr. ISS (English International Space Station, abbr. ISS) - manned orbital station used as a multi-purpose space research complex. The ISS is a joint international project involving 15 countries: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. control center space flights in Korolev, the American segment - from the Mission Control Center in Houston. There is a daily exchange of information between the Centers.

Means of communication
The transmission of telemetry and the exchange of scientific data between the station and the Mission Control Center is carried out using radio communications. In addition, radio communications are used during rendezvous and docking operations, they are used for audio and video communication between crew members and with flight control specialists on Earth, as well as relatives and friends of astronauts. Thus, the ISS is equipped with internal and external multipurpose communication systems.
The Russian Segment of the ISS communicates directly with the Earth using the Lira radio antenna installed on the Zvezda module. "Lira" makes it possible to use the satellite data relay system "Luch". This system was used to communicate with the Mir station, but in the 1990s it fell into disrepair and is currently not used. Luch-5A was launched in 2012 to restore the system's operability. At the beginning of 2013, it is planned to install specialized subscriber equipment on the Russian segment of the station, after which it will become one of the main subscribers of the Luch-5A satellite. Launches of 3 more satellites Luch-5B, Luch-5V and Luch-4 are also expected.
Other Russian system communications, Voskhod-M, provides telephone communication between the modules Zvezda, Zarya, Pirs, Poisk and the American segment, as well as VHF radio communication with ground control centers, using external antennas of the Zvezda module ".
In the US segment, for communication in the S-band (audio transmission) and Ku-band (audio, video, data transmission), two individual systems located on the truss structure Z1. Radio signals from these systems are transmitted to American geostationary satellites TDRSS, which allows you to maintain almost continuous contact with the mission control center in Houston. Data from Canadarm2, the European module Columbus and the Japanese Kibo are redirected through these two communication systems, however American system TDRSS data transmissions will eventually be supplemented by the European satellite system (EDRS) and a similar Japanese one. Communication between the modules is carried out via an internal digital wireless network.
During spacewalks, cosmonauts use a VHF transmitter of the decimeter range. VHF radio communications are also used during docking or undocking by the Soyuz, Progress, HTV, ATV and Space Shuttle spacecraft (although the shuttles also use S- and Ku-band transmitters via TDRSS). With its help, these spacecraft receive commands from the mission control center or from members of the ISS crew. Automatic spacecraft are equipped with their own means of communication. Thus, ATV ships use a specialized Proximity Communication Equipment (PCE) system during rendezvous and docking, the equipment of which is located on the ATV and on the Zvezda module. Communication is via two completely independent S-band radio channels. PCE begins to function starting from relative ranges of about 30 kilometers, and turns off after the ATV docks to the ISS and switches to interaction via the MIL-STD-1553 onboard bus. To accurately determine the relative position of the ATV and the ISS, a system of laser rangefinders installed on the ATV is used, making accurate docking with the station possible.
The station is equipped with about a hundred ThinkPad laptop computers from IBM and Lenovo, models A31 and T61P. These are ordinary serial computers, which, however, have been modified for use in the ISS conditions, in particular, they have redesigned connectors, a cooling system, take into account the 28 Volt voltage used at the station, and also meet the safety requirements for working in zero gravity. Since January 2010, direct Internet access has been organized at the station for the American segment. Computers aboard the ISS are connected via Wi-Fi into a wireless network and are connected to the Earth at a speed of 3 Mbps for download and 10 Mbps for download, which is comparable to a home ADSL connection.

Orbit altitude
The height of the ISS orbit is constantly changing. Due to the remnants of the atmosphere, gradual deceleration and a decrease in altitude occur. All incoming ships help raise altitude with their engines. At one time they were limited to compensating for the decline. AT recent times the altitude of the orbit is steadily increasing. Feb 10, 2011 — The flight altitude of the International Space Station was about 353 kilometers above sea level. June 15, 2011 increased by 10.2 kilometers and amounted to 374.7 kilometers. On June 29, 2011, the orbit height was 384.7 kilometers. In order to reduce the influence of the atmosphere to a minimum, the station had to be raised to 390-400 km, but American shuttles could not rise to such a height. Therefore, the station was kept at altitudes of 330-350 km by periodic correction by engines. Due to the end of the shuttle flight program, this restriction has been lifted.

Timezone
The ISS uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is almost exactly the same distance from the times of the two control centers in Houston and Korolev. Every 16 sunrises/sunsets, the station's windows are closed to create the illusion of a dark night. The crew usually wakes up at 7 am (UTC), the crew usually works around 10 hours every weekday and around five hours every Saturday. During shuttle visits, the ISS crew usually follows the Mission Elapsed Time (MET) - the total flight time of the shuttle, which is not tied to a specific time zone, but is calculated solely from the start time of the space shuttle. The ISS crew shifts their sleep time in advance before the arrival of the shuttle and returns to the previous mode after its departure.

Atmosphere
The station maintains an atmosphere close to Earth. Normal atmospheric pressure on the ISS is 101.3 kilopascals, the same as at sea level on Earth. The atmosphere on the ISS does not coincide with the atmosphere maintained in the shuttles, therefore, after the docking of the space shuttle, the pressures and composition are equalized gas mixture on both sides of the gateway. From about 1999 to 2004, NASA existed and developed the IHM (Inflatable Habitation Module) project, in which it was planned to use atmospheric pressure at the station to deploy and create a working volume of an additional habitable module. The body of this module was supposed to be made of Kevlar fabric with a sealed inner shell of gas-tight synthetic rubber. However, in 2005, due to the unresolved majority of the problems posed in the project (in particular, the problem of protection from space debris), the IHM program was closed.

microgravity
The attraction of the Earth at the height of the station's orbit is 90% of the attraction at sea level. The state of weightlessness is due to the constant free fall of the ISS, which, according to the principle of equivalence, is equivalent to the absence of attraction. The station environment is often described as microgravity due to four effects:

Retarding pressure of the residual atmosphere.

Vibrational accelerations due to the operation of mechanisms and movement of the station crew.

Orbit correction.

Heterogeneity gravitational field Earth leads to the fact that different parts of the ISS are attracted to the Earth with different strengths.

All these factors create accelerations reaching values ​​of 10-3…10-1 g.

ISS surveillance
The size of the station is sufficient for its observation with the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. ISS observed as enough bright Star, moving rather quickly across the sky approximately from west to east (the angular velocity is about 1 degree per second.) Depending on the point of observation, the maximum value of its magnitude can take on a value from? 4 to 0. The European Space Agency, together with the site " www.heavens-above.com", provides an opportunity for everyone to find out the schedule of ISS flybys over a certain locality planets. By going to the site page dedicated to the ISS, and entering the name of the city of interest in Latin, you can get exact time and a graphic representation of the flight path of the station above it, for the coming days. You can also view the flight schedule at www.amsat.org. The flight path of the ISS in real time can be seen on the website of the Federal Space Agency. You can also use the program "Heavensat" (or "Orbitron").

International space station. It is a 400-ton structure, consisting of several dozen modules with an internal volume of over 900 cubic meters, which serves as a home for six space explorers. The ISS is not only the largest structure ever built by man in space, but also a true symbol of international cooperation. But this colossus did not appear from scratch - it took more than 30 launches to create it.

And it all started with the Zarya module, delivered into orbit by the Proton launch vehicle in such a distant November 1998.

Two weeks later, the Unity module went into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

The Endeavor crew docked two modules, which became the main one for the future ISS.

The third element of the station was the Zvezda residential module, launched in the summer of 2000. Interestingly, Zvezda was originally developed as a replacement for the base module of the Mir orbital station (AKA Mir 2). But the reality that followed after the collapse of the USSR made its own adjustments, and this module became the heart of the ISS, which, in general, is also not bad, because only after its installation it became possible to send long-term expeditions to the station.

The first crew went to the ISS in October 2000. Since then, the station has been continuously inhabited for over 13 years.

In the same autumn of 2000, several shuttles visited the ISS and installed a power module with the first set of solar panels.

In the winter of 2001, the ISS was replenished with the Destiny laboratory module delivered into orbit by the Atlantis shuttle. The Destiny was docked to the Unity module.

The main assembly of the station was carried out by shuttles. In 2001-2002 they delivered external storage platforms to the ISS.

Hand-manipulator "Kanadarm2".

Airlock compartments "Quest" and "Piers".

And most importantly - elements of truss structures that were used to store cargo outside the station, install radiators, new solar panels and other equipment. The total length of the trusses currently reaches 109 meters.

2003 Due to the disaster of the space shuttle "Columbia", work on the assembly of the ISS is suspended for almost three to three years.

2005 year. Finally, the shuttles return to space and the construction of the station resumes

Shuttles deliver all new elements of truss structures into orbit.

With their help, new sets of solar panels are installed on the ISS, which allows increasing its power supply.

In the fall of 2007, the ISS is replenished with the Harmony module (it docks with the Destiny module), which in the future will become a connecting node for two research laboratories: the European Columbus and the Japanese Kibo.

In 2008, the Columbus is delivered into orbit by a shuttle and docked with the Harmony (lower left module at the bottom of the station).

March 2009 Shuttle Discovery delivers the last fourth set of solar arrays into orbit. Now the station is operating at full capacity and can accommodate a permanent crew of 6 people.

In 2009, the station is replenished with the Russian Poisk module.

In addition, the assembly of the Japanese "Kibo" begins (the module consists of three components).

February 2010 The "Calm" module is added to the "Unity" module.

In turn, the famous "Dome" docks with "Tranquility".

It's so good to make observations from it.

Summer 2011 - shuttles retire.

But before that, they tried to deliver to the ISS as much equipment and equipment as possible, including robots specially trained to kill all humans.

Fortunately, by the time the shuttles retired, the assembly of the ISS was almost complete.

But still not completely. It is planned that in 2015 the Russian laboratory module Nauka will be launched, which will replace Pirs.

In addition, it is possible that the Bigelow experimental inflatable module, which is currently being developed by Bigelow Aerospace, will be docked to the ISS. If successful, it will be the first orbital station module built by a private company.

However, there is nothing surprising in this - a private truck "Dragon" in 2012 already flew to the ISS, and why not private modules appear? Although, of course, it is obvious that it will be a long time before private companies can create structures similar to the ISS.

In the meantime, this does not happen, it is planned that the ISS will work in orbit until at least 2024 - although I personally hope that in reality this period will be much longer. Still, too much human effort was put into this project to shut it down for momentary savings and not for scientific reasons. And even more so, I sincerely hope that no political squabbles will affect the fate of this unique structure.

April 12 is Cosmonautics Day. And of course, it would be wrong to bypass this holiday. Moreover, this year the date will be special, 50 years since the first manned flight into space. It was on April 12, 1961 that Yuri Gagarin accomplished his historic feat.

Well, a man in space cannot do without grandiose superstructures. This is exactly what the International Space Station is.

The dimensions of the ISS are small; length - 51 meters, width together with trusses - 109 meters, height - 20 meters, weight - 417.3 tons. But I think everyone understands that the uniqueness of this superstructure is not in its size, but in the technologies used to operate the station in open space. The height of the ISS orbit is 337-351 km above the earth. Orbital speed - 27700 km / h. This allows the station to make a complete revolution around our planet in 92 minutes. That is, every day the astronauts who are on the ISS meet 16 sunrises and sunsets, 16 times night follows day. Now the ISS crew consists of 6 people, and in general for the entire period of operation the station received 297 visitors (196 different people). The start of operation of the International Space Station is November 20, 1998. And at the moment (04/09/2011) the station has been in orbit for 4523 days. During this time, it has evolved quite a lot. I suggest you verify this by looking at the photo.

ISS, 1999.

ISS, 2000.

ISS, 2002.

ISS, 2005.

ISS, 2006.

ISS, 2009.

ISS, March 2011.

Below I will give a diagram of the station, from which you can find out the names of the modules and also see the docking points of the ISS with other spacecraft.

The ISS is an international project. 23 states participate in it: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg(!!!), Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, USA, Finland, France, Czech Republic , Switzerland, Sweden, Japan. After all, to financially overpower the construction and maintenance of the functionality of the International Space Station alone is beyond the power of any state. It is not possible to calculate the exact or even approximate costs for the construction and operation of the ISS. The official figure has already exceeded 100 billion US dollars, and if you add all the side costs here, you get about 150 billion US dollars. This is already making the International Space Station the most expensive project throughout the history of mankind. And based on the latest agreements between Russia, the United States and Japan (Europe, Brazil and Canada are still in thought) that the life of the ISS has been extended until at least 2020 (and possibly a further extension), the total cost of maintaining the station will increase even more.

But I propose to digress from the numbers. After all, in addition to scientific value, the ISS has other advantages. Namely, the opportunity to appreciate the pristine beauty of our planet from the height of the orbit. And it is not necessary for this to go into outer space.

Because there is one at the station viewpoint, glazed module "Dome".

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most significant international space projects, the largest artificial inhabited satellite of the Earth - the International Space Station (ISS). 20 years ago, on January 29, an Agreement on the creation of a space station was signed in Washington, and already on November 20, 1998, the construction of the station began - the Proton launch vehicle was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with the first module - the functional cargo block (FGB) "Zarya ". In the same year, on December 7, the second element of the orbital station, the Unity connection module, was docked with FGB Zarya. Two years later, a new addition to the station was the Zvezda service module.

On November 2, 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) began its work in a manned mode. Spaceship Soyuz TM-31 with the crew of the first long-term expedition docked with the service module Zvezda.The rendezvous of the ship with the station was carried out according to the scheme that was used during flights to the Mir station. Ninety minutes after docking, the hatch was opened and the ISS-1 crew stepped aboard the ISS for the first time.The ISS-1 crew included Russian cosmonauts Yuri GIDZENKO, Sergei KRIKALEV and American astronaut William SHEPERD.

Arriving at the ISS, the cosmonauts carried out re-mothballing, retrofitting, launching and tuning the systems of the Zvezda, Unity and Zarya modules and established communication with mission control centers in Korolev and Houston near Moscow. Within four months, 143 sessions of geophysical, biomedical and technical research and experiments. In addition, the ISS-1 team provided dockings with cargo ships"Progress M1-4" (November 2000), "Progress M-44" (February 2001) and the American shuttles Endeavor ("Endeavour", December 2000), Atlantis ("Atlantis"; February 2001 ), Discovery ("Discovery"; March 2001) and their unloading. Also in February 2001, the expedition team integrated the Destiny laboratory module into the ISS.

On March 21, 2001, with the American space shuttle Discovery, which delivered the crew of the second expedition to the ISS, the crew of the first long-term mission returned to Earth. The landing site was the J.F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA.

In subsequent years, the Quest lock chamber, the Pirs docking compartment, the Harmony connection module, the Columbus laboratory module, the Kibo cargo and research module, the Poisk small research module, Tranquility Residential Module, Dome Observation Module, Rassvet Small Research Module, Leonardo Multifunctional Module, BEAM Convertible Test Module.

Today, the ISS is the largest international project, a manned orbital station used as a multi-purpose space research complex. The space agencies ROSCOSMOS, NASA (USA), JAXA (Japan), CSA (Canada), ESA (European countries) are participating in this global project.

With the creation of the ISS, it became possible to perform scientific experiments in unique conditions of microgravity, in vacuum and under the influence of cosmic radiation. The main areas of research are physical and chemical processes and materials in space, Earth exploration and space exploration technologies, man in space, space biology and biotechnology. Considerable attention in the work of astronauts on the International Space Station is given to educational initiatives and the popularization of space research.

ISS is a unique experience of international cooperation, support and mutual assistance; construction and operation in near-Earth orbit of a large engineering structure of paramount importance for the future of all mankind.

MAIN MODULES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION	CONDITIONS SYMBOL	START	DOCKING

The choice of some parameters of the International Space Station orbit is not always obvious. For example, the station can be located at an altitude of 280 to 460 kilometers, and because of this, it constantly experiences the braking effect of the upper atmosphere of our planet. Every day, the ISS loses about 5 cm/s of speed and 100 meters of altitude. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to raise the station, burning the fuel of ATV and Progress trucks. Why can't the station be raised higher to avoid these costs?

The range laid down during the design and the current real situation are dictated by several reasons at once. Every day, astronauts and cosmonauts receive high doses of radiation, and beyond the 500 km mark, its level rises sharply. And the limit for a six-month stay is set at only half a sievert, only a sievert is allocated for the entire career. Each sievert increases the risk of cancer by 5.5 percent.

On Earth, we are protected from cosmic rays by the radiation belt of our planet's magnetosphere and atmosphere, but they work weaker in near space. In some parts of the orbit (the South Atlantic anomaly is such a spot of increased radiation) and beyond it, strange effects can sometimes appear: in closed eyes flashes appear. These are cosmic particles passing through the eyeballs, other interpretations say that the particles excite the parts of the brain responsible for vision. This can not only interfere with sleep, but once again unpleasantly reminds you of high level radiation on the ISS.

In addition, the 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 less cargo can be delivered. The rockets that send new modules to the station will also be able to bring less. On the other hand, the lower the ISS, the more it slows down, that is, more of the delivered cargo must be fuel for the subsequent orbit correction.

Scientific tasks can be performed at an altitude of 400-460 kilometers. Finally, the position of the station is affected by space debris- failed satellites and their debris, which have a huge speed relative to the ISS, which makes a collision with them fatal.

There are resources on the Web that allow you to monitor the parameters of the orbit of the International Space Station. You can get relatively accurate current data, or track their dynamics. At the time of this writing, the ISS was at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers.

The elements located at the rear of the station can accelerate the ISS: these are Progress trucks (most often) and ATVs, if necessary, the Zvezda service module (extremely rare). In the illustration, a European ATV is working before the kata. The station is raised often and little by little: the correction occurs about once a month in small portions of the order of 900 seconds of engine operation, the Progress uses smaller engines so as not to greatly affect the course of experiments.

The engines can turn on once, thus increasing the flight altitude on the other side of the planet. Such operations are used for small ascents, since the eccentricity of the orbit changes.

A correction with two inclusions is also possible, in which the second inclusion smoothes the station's orbit to a circle.

Some parameters are dictated not only by scientific data, but also by politics. It is possible to give the spacecraft any orientation, but at launch it will be more economical to use the speed that the rotation of the Earth gives. Thus, it is cheaper to launch the device into an orbit with an inclination equal to the latitude, and maneuvers 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.

When the location of the future ISS station was discussed, it was decided that it would be more economical to give preference to the Russian side. Also, such orbital parameters allow you to see more of the Earth's surface.

But Baikonur is at a latitude of approximately 46 degrees, so why is it common for Russian launches to have an inclination of 51.6 degrees? The fact is that there is a neighbor to the east who will not be too happy if something falls on him. Therefore, the orbit is tilted to 51.6 °, so that during launch, no parts of the spacecraft could under any circumstances fall on China and Mongolia.