The International Space Station

     What is a zero-gravity environment, 230 miles above the surface of the Earth, in a satellite moving 4.8 miles a second called? The International Space Station! Otherwise known as the ISS, this large satellite is larger than a football field.  However, unlike other satellites, the ISS is home to a crew of  usually 6 international astronauts all year round.
     The ISS began as a dream during the Cold War. The Cold War wasn't actually a war, although it did close a couple times, between the Soviet Union, AKA the USSR, and America as a battle for space exploration and world influence. The space exploration part of this "war" was called the Space Race. It pretty much ended when the U.S. sent man to the moon, and now instead of competing with the USSR, now Russia, we are partnering with them. The ISS is an international project with much contributed from the U.S and Russia.
     The ISS began to be built in the early 90s, and with modules being added. The ISS will technically never be complete, because countries keep adding new modules, building the ISS even today.
     The International Space Station is the most expensive project that the world has ever taken on. Despite what many people think, the ISS is in full use. It is used as a research lab with international scientists living full-time on board.
     Life on the ISS is very cramped, but they manage. The crew switches out every so often, and new scientists and astronauts (Russian astronauts are called cosmonauts) come on board.
     Ever wonder how they get to and from the ISS? Well, they use a Russian spacecraft called the Soyuz, which was built in the 60s. It holds up to three people and it uses a really cool docking mechanism to attach to the ISS main module.
     The International Space Station is one of the most prestigious projects that mankind has ever done, and not many people know much about it. You can look up more info on the ISS on the NASA website.