Question

Discuss the benefits of ISS.

Answer 1

International Space Station (ISS), is a large spacecraft which can house astronauts. It goes around in low Earth orbit at approximately 400 km distance. It is also a science laboratory. Its very first part was placed in orbit in 1998 and its core construction was completed by 2011. It is the largest man-made object in space which can also be seen from the Earth through the naked eye. The first human crew went to the ISS in 2000. Ever since that, it has never been unoccupied by humans. At any given instant, at least six humans will be present in the ISS. According to the current plan ISS will be operated until 2024, with a possible extension until 2028. After that, it could be deorbited, or recycled for future space stations.

The ISS is intended to act as a scientific laboratory and observatory. Its main purpose is to provide an international lab for conducting experiments in space, as the space environment is nearly impossible to reproduce here on Earth. The microgravity environment present in the ISS provides ideal conditions for doing many scientific researches especially in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology.