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.
Benefits of ISS
According to NASA, the following are some of the ways in which the ISS is already benefitting us or will benefit us in the future.
Supporting water-purification efforts
Using the technology developed for the ISS, areas having water scarcity can gain access to advanced water filtration and purification systems. The water recovery system (WRS) and the oxygen generation system (OGS) developed for the ISS have already saved a village in Iraq fry being deserted due to lack of clean water.
Eye tracking technology
The Eye Tracking Device, built for a microgravity experiment, has proved ideal to be used in many laser surgeries. Also, eye tracking technology is helping disabled people with limited movement and speech. For example, a kid who has severe disability in body movements can use his eye-movements alone and do routine tasks and lead an independent life.
Robotic arms and surgeries
Robotic arms developed for research in the ISS are providing significant help to the surgeons in removing inoperable tumours (e.g. brain tumours) and taking biopsies with great accuracies. Its inventors say that the robot could take biopsies with remarkable precision and consistency.
Apart from the above-mentioned applications, there are many other ways in which the researches that take place in the ISS are helpful. They are: development of improved vaccines, breast cancer detection and treatment, ultrasound machines for remote regions etc,.
ISS and International Cooperation
As great as the ISS’ scientific achievements are, no less in accomplishment is the international co-operation which resulted in the construction of the ISS. An international collaboration of five different space agencies of 16 countries provides, maintains and operates the ISS. They are: NASA (USA), Roskosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada). Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK are also part of the consortium.
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