An Orbiting Laboratory

The International Space Station orbits Earth at about 408 kilometers altitude, traveling at 28,000 km/h — fast enough to circle the planet every 90 minutes. Astronauts aboard see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. The station has been continuously occupied since November 2000, making it humanity's longest unbroken presence in space.

The ISS is a collaboration between NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA — five space agencies representing 15 countries. It weighs roughly 420 tons and spans the size of a football field including its solar arrays. Living on the ISS means adapting to microgravity.