Questions tagged [iss]
Questions about the ISS (International Space Station), a habitable man-made low Earth orbit satellite whose first component was launched in 1998 and used to conduct experiments for a wide variety of research fields in a microgravity environment.
1,048
questions
4
votes
0
answers
86
views
Do ISS astronauts have a preference for when EVA tasks are scheduled with respect to lighting conditions?
Given the choice, do ISS astronauts prefer to schedule EVA tasks on the “day light” side of the ISS, the “shadow" side of the ISS or in the shadow of Earth’s night side?
I suspect the intense, ...
- 17.7k
3
votes
2
answers
309
views
If a baby was born on the ISS, what would its nationality be?
If a baby was born on the ISS, what would its nationality be? Many countries grant citizenship to any baby born within their territory, but the ISS is not national territory ... or is it? If a ...
2
votes
1
answer
109
views
GMAT SGP TLE Propagator and maneuver
So this time I try to use GMAT(2022 ver).
I am using the SPICESGP4 TLE Propagator to simulator ISS's orbit.
For now it work well.
However when I try to use the burn to change its orbit altitude, it ...
- 157
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why is the central truss segment of the ISS called S0?
Why is that segment of the ISS truss called S0, not P0, C (for center) or just 0?
- 91
1
vote
0
answers
79
views
How many tonnes of cargo are stored on the International Space Station?
I think I read somewhere that SpaceX's Starship should carry 100 tonnes to the moon, and that this amount of mass was greater than the total cargo on the ISS, but I can't find a reference confirming ...
- 713
6
votes
4
answers
335
views
Deorbit ISS vs. Preserve ISS as raw materials for ISM?
Recent news:
NASA Seeks Proposals from US Industry for Station Deorbit Spacecraft (ISS)
NASA has released a request for proposal from U.S. industry for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), a spacecraft ...
- 161
0
votes
0
answers
155
views
Live_ISS_Stream stopped?
so I've come across this video, 11 hours of ISS transmissions during 2021 ASAT incident by Russia. The description says the footage was archived from this IBM stream site, so I've looked to see if it ...
- 39
3
votes
1
answer
141
views
Has intra-cranial pressure been measured on ISS astronauts for SANS research?
Visual impairment (VI) <and spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular
syndrome (SANS)> is currently ... NASA's top health risk for long duration spaceflight,
and millions of dollars has been allocated ...
- 17.7k
2
votes
1
answer
206
views
In MATLAB, Computing a new TLE/orbit following a delta-v impulse?
I have already worked on this project for a week, and I still can not solve this problem by myself. How can I update data for the SGP4 OrbitPropagator in Matlab's ...
- 157
3
votes
2
answers
141
views
Does earth orbiting debris that threatens the space station have a particular direction bias?
I'm starting to investigate the danger of orbital debris on the ISS (international space station). One could assume that due to the orbital velocity vector, that any debris that the ISS encounter, ...
- 167
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Visibility of ISS at extreme latitudes
Is there a limit to the latitudes the ISS can be seen from (i.e. could it be seen at the North or South poles)?
5
votes
1
answer
252
views
Why Isn't the ISS exclusion zone spherical?
According to a video by Real Engineering the ISS has a 50x50x0.75 km exclusion zone.
Why Isn't it spherical and why is the "vertical" axis so much smaller?
Screenshot from Don’t Drop your ...
- 479
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Did the ISS modules have Flight Termination Systems when they launched?
Not that it did, but if something stuffed up during the launch of a module, could it have been destroyed before hitting the ground?
14
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How dangerous is tossing equipment off the ISS?
On 2023 June 22, during an ISS spacewalk, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin "tossed overboard" three no longer needed devices, "off the back of the space station in a direction that ...
- 11.5k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
ISRO’s decision not to participate in the International Space Station Program
ISRO has a well-established and successful space program, with many notable achievements to its credit. However, despite its capabilities and expertise in the field of space exploration, ISRO did not ...
- 173
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is this small white device with LCD and 10 keys on the International Space Station?
I see this device in many places in International Space Station; what is it called and what does it do?
- 243
2
votes
1
answer
217
views
ISS (ZARYA) TLE to Latitude Longitude Conversion
I am trying to take TLE of ISS (ZARYA) and get the latitude longitude and height. I am aware the TLE is in TEME~(True Equator Mean Equinox) frame. This means that the TLE was generated considering the ...
- 2,921
21
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Why will Starship's 150 ton payload capacity be sufficient to carry 100 people to other planets?
The ISS weighs 450 tons and carries 7 people for three months without resupply.
Starship is supposed to carry 14 times as many people for more than twice the duration with one third the mass.
How?
- 2,645
23
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Why aren't the radiators on the ISS straight?
The radiators look like a highly stretched paper accordion. Is it just because of how they decomposed, or is there a deeper reason?
- 903
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How close was the ISS to running out of supplies after the failure of CRS-7?
2014-2015 probably was a scary time to be aboard the ISS, though not for the usual reasons. They were worried about supplies running low, at least somewhat. There was quite the string of bad luck.
...
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
What is the relationship between the power supply system and the thermal control system?
According to Wikipedia, the solar panels of the ISS produce an average of about 120 kW of electrical energy, which is then used by the station's systems. Can it be converted into something other than ...
- 903
4
votes
2
answers
311
views
How many printed novels have been in space to date?
I am talking about actual novels brought for recreational purposes. As in manuals don't count. Also, I would like to know who and on what mission these were brought.
3
votes
1
answer
718
views
How are oxygen and nitrogen replenished in the storage tanks on the ISS?
How they add gases to high pressure tanks. Will the supply trucks bring it? And how will it be connected?
- 903
3
votes
1
answer
111
views
How was SSRMS IROSA IPA disposed
On this video, we can clearly see the payload being disposed, but I fail to understand how it gained so much momentum as the Canadarm appears to not be moving.
The video mention a new procedure, can ...
- 12.6k
14
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Was the shot-on-the-ISS movie "The Challenge" ever released or is there a release date?
In October 2021 scenes for a movie entitled "The Challenge" were shot onboard the ISS with actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko spending a short stay on the station.
Source: ...
- 178k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Could you observe air-drag on an ISS spacewalk?
The ISS orbits in the thermosphere and needs periodic re-boosts because of air-drag. At the other extreme, the slowest(?) fixed-wing aircraft are f1d planes made out of 2 grams of balsa wood, ...
- 761
15
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What does trash from ISS consist of?
How much does it cost to return 1 kg from the ISS to the Earth? What are the parameters influencing this price?
What kinds of waste does the ISS dispose of? To mind come:
human waste*
household items ...
- 499
3
votes
1
answer
138
views
What do the module walls look like on the ISS?
I know they are about 10cm thick and act like a whipple shield. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20120002584
It should be two layers of aluminum. But when I look at the photos from the inside, the ...
- 903
20
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How much does it cost to return 1 kg from the ISS to the Earth? What are the parameters influencing this price?
I heard in a few places downmass is a limiting factor in the ISS national lab capacity. Is that true?
According to NASA's pricing plan, it actually costs more to get downmass than upmass. Why is that?
- 201
6
votes
1
answer
381
views
Dragon as a Lifeboat for Soyuz
The only serious alternatives I have seen reported for the current Soyuz coolant problem are to either use the existing Soyuz, hopefully patching and testing it enough while attached to ISS to be able ...
3
votes
1
answer
159
views
How long does the Soyuz Instrumentation/Propulsion Module remain attached to the Descent Module during re-entry?
Soyuz MS-22, attached to the ISS, has developed a leak in an external coolant loop in the Instrumentation/Propulsion Module. This spacecraft is needed to return the three cosmonauts who are currently ...
- 2,451
4
votes
2
answers
117
views
Why does the gold reflector of the COWVR on the ISS rotate?
The answer here What is the rotating gold object on the outside of ISS? describes in detail what the rotating dish is, and what the package is used for. However, it is not clearly explained why ...
- 177
24
votes
2
answers
6k
views
What is the rotating gold object on the outside of ISS?
What is the rotating gold object on the outside of ISS?
It is sometimes in view on the Live_ISS_Stream SD video feed:
https://video.ibm.com/channel/live-iss-stream#
A Google search gives no current ...
- 241
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
What is the velocity of the ISS relative to the Earth's surface?
This was asked once before, but I believe there was no clear answer given and accepted.
The ISS has an orbital period of 92.9 minutes, or 5574 seconds. If it were in a completely equatorial orbit, ...
- 103
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How many kg of air escape from the Quest airlock during one EVA?
Do they have a system that pumps the air out or does it just let it out?
- 903
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How do propellant transfer technologies work?
I'm new to the aerospace world, and I was wondering how the ISS or other rockets were refueled in space. I've found some information, but most were patents and I wasn't able to understand them well.
...
- 153
2
votes
1
answer
274
views
How can you calculate the pressure that a liquid develops when freezing in a pipe?
My current understanding is that in addition to the reasons pointed out in the answer to this question here, another reason for choosing
ammonia in the space station external coolant loops is that the ...
- 43
8
votes
1
answer
492
views
Why are there so many visible cables on the exterior of the ISS?
Looking at the modules of the ISS every one of them (the Russian ones in particular) seems to be covered by silver and white cables, wires and pipes on the outside. Some of them have been added later ...
- 133
2
votes
1
answer
139
views
Does the ISS keep pointing prograde for most of the time?
I know the solar panels rotate independently, so theoretically there should be no need for keeping the station pointing prograde. It would also be problematic for docking maneuvers.
But on the other ...
- 191
1
vote
0
answers
40
views
Identifying Antenna-Like Object with Gold Orb on ISS [duplicate]
Many photos of the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) show it partially obscured by an object which looks like a golden orb on a poll. What is this object?
Attempted Solution
Zooming ...
- 119
2
votes
1
answer
190
views
Is there any way to predict if the ISS will lose its signal or to know it directly?
I am currently working on a project by using the ISS livestream:
https://video.ibm.com/channel/iss-hdev-payload
But sometimes there is a loss-of-signal and it displays a screen that breaks the ...
- 121
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does NASA have any rocket options to replace ISS segments?
Roscosmos has announced their ISS partnership will end in 2 years
This might have been seen as an indication that the new administration at Roscosmos was in a more cooperative mood. Any such hopes ...
- 7,780
4
votes
1
answer
660
views
Modelling ISS orbit in GMAT
I am a complete newbie in all things space related. I am trying to work out how I can model the orbit of the ISS in the NASA open source tool GMAT.
I can get the TLE for ISS (ZAYRA) from space-track....
- 141
19
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is the orange material seen within the window frames of the Columbia Shuttle?
I'm seeing this orange material within the windows of Columbia shuttles -- any thoughts on its precise function? The ISS's Cupola also contains similar international orange bands, though they seem ...
1
vote
1
answer
444
views
What percentage of humans could execute the job of astronaut if given the opportunity? [closed]
Becoming an astronaut is notoriously difficult, with something on the order of 0.01% of all applicants getting picked for the job. To a large extent this is inevitable as only a dozen people per year ...
- 1,081
5
votes
1
answer
589
views
Why is the ISS camera (nearly) always off when passing over/near French Southern and Antarctic Lands / FSAL well south of India?
I have viewed ISS images for about 18 months and only twice seen partial glimpses of FSAL. Other areas of the world between 51 N&S latitudes routinely appear, although the camera is off sometimes....
- 51
3
votes
0
answers
67
views
short duration of crew 4 mission
I am wondering why the crew 4 mission is (for the moment) only planned for 4 and half months and not the usual 6-6.5 months? Thanks.
- 369
1
vote
0
answers
52
views
How spontaneously can a spacecraft be deorbited [duplicate]
Currently the return of AX-1 has been rescheduled multiple days due to weather concerns in the landing area. How quickly could astronauts on the ISS evacuate to the ground if so required?
Scenarios ...
- 3,566
7
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What is the maximum distance between two satellites orbiting at 400 km that would still allow them to communicate with each other using radio waves?
All satellites have the same inclination.
At an altitude of 400 km, the circumference of their orbit is $2\pi \cdot (6371+400) = 42\ 543$ km.
If, for example, you have only 2 satellites separated by ...
1
vote
2
answers
237
views
Specifications for Spacecraft interior and exterior paint colours
Are there specifications for Crewed mission spacecrafts in terms of interior and exterior paint colours?
I.e. Only specific paint colours are required internally and externally.
Can these paint ...
- 369