International Ventures

"The science of today is the technology of tomorrow."
- Edward Teller

The International Space Station

The International Space Station is the largest and most complex international scientific project in history. It is not yet complete, but will be more than four times larger than the Russian Mir Space Station. It draws upon the scientific and technological resources of 16 nations: The USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil and 11 nations of the European Space Agency.

The station orbits at an altitude of 250 miles at an inclination of 51.6 degrees, allowing it to be reached by the launch vehicles of all the international partners. It also allows excellent Earth observations with coverage of 85% of the globe and overflight of 95% of the population. Find out where to look for it when it next passes over you.

Artist's impression of the International Space Station
Picture credit: NASA

Research is undertaken on board the ISS in a variety of fascinating fields. Protein crystals grown in space are purer than those grown on earth, and these are examined to help understand the nature of proteins, enzymes and viruses. Living tissue cells can also be grown in this environment without the constraints of strong gravity, which can distort them. These are just a couple of examples of space research on the ISS.