Science fiction has given us countless examples of international space campaigns (exp: Star Trek's "Federation"). But what's the largest and most active space campaign from Earth and how much (in tonnage) has been launched into or constructed in space under its united flag?
1 Answer
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The International Space Station, by far. The mass of the station varies with time, but it's around 420 tons It was constructed over the course of about 13 years, although it is still being tweaked today.
answered Sep 18, 2016 at 20:25
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2$\begingroup$ The mass is tracked quite precisely, and posted here: spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/… Presently 405 metric tons. $\endgroup$ Sep 19, 2016 at 3:24
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1$\begingroup$ I had always heard that it was somewhat tricky to get the exact mass of the ISS, owing to the large number of cargo supplies/trash disposals, which make keeping track of that mass difficult. Still, it seems it is better known than I had thought. $\endgroup$– PearsonArtPhoto ♦Sep 19, 2016 at 16:23
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2$\begingroup$ @PearsonArtPhoto There are people whose job it is to know exactly what the mass of the ISS is and how it is distributed. My desk is maybe thirty yards from one of them. $\endgroup$– TristanSep 19, 2016 at 16:33
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1$\begingroup$ It is tricky, and I'm sure it's not known to the precision with which the numbers on the SVPOST page are given, but they ought to be good to within a couple of hundred pounds. I believe the mass estimates are updated based on measured accelerations from known thrust levels during maneuvers, as well as the obvious tracking of upmass and downmass. $\endgroup$ Sep 19, 2016 at 16:50
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$\begingroup$ The question in part is, how accurate is downmass tracked? Not to mention leakage of any kind, or other similar incidents... $\endgroup$– PearsonArtPhoto ♦Sep 19, 2016 at 16:55