ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) is low earth orbit. It was launched in 1998. Now it is the biggest space ship in orbit, with the clear sky and in appropriate time it could often be seen with naked eye form Earth.

The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research lab. The station is serviced by a variety of visiting spacecraft. It has been visited by 15 different nationalities.

The ISS is the corporate project among 5 space agencies: NASA, Roskosmos, JAXA, ESA and CSA. The station is divided into two section, Russian and USA, which is shared by many nation.


PURPOSE

Besides it was intended to be a lab, observatory and factory in low Earth orbit, it was also planned to provide transportation, maintenance, and act as a staging base for the future mission to Moon, Mar and asteroids.

View from laboratory

WHAT AN ASTRONAUT SEES AT NIGHT (from ISS)