International Space Station
By K.K. Srivastava ( Former Director, DRDO)
Competition Refresher, July 2005 Issue
A station I space is conceptualized because of the necessity to provide an intermediate platform for the maintenance, boosting station for crafts on a long journey into space, resting and recreation place for crew, research studies and experiments requiring long exposure to space conditions and experiments requiring large and heavy instrumentation. Such a station is in an orbit with an altitude of 250 statute miles with an inclination of 51.6 degrees. This orbit allows the station to be reached by the launch vehicles of all the international partners to provide a robust capability for the delivery of crews and supplies. The orbit also provides excellent Earth observations with coverage of 85 per cent of the globe and over flight of 95 per cent of the population. The project is in operation since November 1998. by the end of 2005, about 500,000 pounds of station components had been built at factories around the world.
United States and Russia are playing major role in the International Space Station (ISS). The USA has the responsibility for developing and ultimately operating major elements and systems aboard the station. The US elements include three connecting modules, or nodes. A laboratory module; truss segments; four solar arrays; A habitation module; three mating adapters; a cupola; an unpressurised logistic carrier. And a centrifuge module.
The various systems being developed by the US include thermal control; life support; guidance’ navigation and control; data handling; power systems; communications tracking; ground operations facilities and launch-site processing facilities.
Russia is providing two research modules; an early living quarters called the Service Module with its own life support and habitation systems; a science power platform of solar arrays that can supply about 20 kilowatts of electrical power; logistics transport vehicles; and Soyuz spacecraft for crew return and transfer.
ISS Phase One:
The Shuttle-Mir Programme
The first phase of the International Space Station, the Shuttle-Mir Programme began in 1995 and involved more than two years of continuous stay by astronauts aboard the Russian Mir Space Station 
and nine Shuttle-Mir docking missions. Knowledge was gained in technology, international space operations and scientific research.
Seven US astronauts spent cumulative total of 32 months aboard Mir with 28 months of continuous occupancy since March 1996. By contrast, it took the US Space Shuttle fleet more than a dozen years and 60 flights to achieve an accumulated one year in orbit. Many of th research programs planned for the International Space Station benefit from longer stay times in space. The US science program aboard the Mir was a pathfinder for more ambitious experiments planned for the new station.
The International Space Station will establish an unprecedented state-of-the-art laboratory complex in orbit, more than four times the size and with almost 60 times the electrical power for experiments- critical for research capability of Russia’s Mir. Research in the station’s six laboratories will lead to discoveries in medicine, materials and fundamental science that will benefit people all over the world. Through its research and technology, the station also will serve as an indispensable step in preparation for future human space exploration.
Examples on the types of research that will be performed aboard the station include;
Protein Crystal Studies:
More pure protein crystals may be grown in space than on Earth. Analysis of these crystals helps scientists better understand the nature of proteins, enzymes and viruses, perhaps leading to the development of new drugs and a better understanding of the fundamental building blocks of life. Similar experiments have been conducted on the Space Shuttle, although they are limited by the short duration of Shuttle flights this type of research could lead to the study of possible treatments of cancer, diabetes, emphysema and immune system disorders, among other research.
Tissue Culture:
Living cells can be grown in a laboratory environment in space where they are not distorted by gravity. NASA already has developed a Bioreactor device that is used on Earth to simulate, for such cultures, the effect of reduced gravity. Still, these devices are limited by gravity. Growing cultures for long periods aboard the station will further advance this research. Such cultures can be used to test new treatments for cancer without risking harm to patients, among other users.
Life in Low Gravity:
The effects of long-term exposure to reduced gravity on humans- weakening muscles; changes in how the heart, arteries and veins work; and the loss of bone density, among others- will be studied aboard the station. Studies of these effects may lead to a better understanding of the body’s systems and similar ailments on Earth. A thorough understanding of such effects and possible methods of counteracting them is needed to prepare for future long-term human exploration of the solar system. In addition, studies of the gravitational effects on plants, animals and the functions of living cells will be conducted aboard the station.
The Nature of Space:
Some experiments aboard the station will take place on the exterior o the station modules. Such exterior experiments can study the space environment and how long-term exposure to space, the vacuum and the debris, affects materials. This research can provide future spacecraft designers and scientists a better understanding of the nature of space and enhance spacecraft design. Some experiments will study the basic forces of nature, a field called Fundamental Physics, where experiments take advantage of weightlessness to study forces that are weak and difficult to study when subject to gravity on Earth. Experiments in this field may help explain how the universe developed. Investigations that use lasers to cool atoms to near absolute zero may help us understand gravity itself. In addition to investigating basic questions about nature, this research could lead to down-to-earth developments that may include clocks a thousand times more accurate than today’s atomic clocks; better weather forecasting; and stronger materials.
Watching Earth:
Observations of the earth from orbit help the study of large-scale, long-term changes in the environment. Studies in this field can increase understanding of the forests, oceans, and mountains. The effects of volcanoes, ancient meteorite impacts, hurricanes and typhoons can be studied. In addition, changes to the Earth that are caused by the human race can be observed. The effects of air pollution, such as smog over cities; of
deforestation, the cutting and burning of forests; and of water pollution, such as oil spills, are visible from space and can be captured in images that provide a global perspective unavailable from the ground.
Commercialization:
As part of the commercialization of space research on the station, industries will participate in research by conducting experiments and studies aimed at developing new products and services. The results may benefit those on earth, not only by providing innovative new products, but also by creating new jobs to make the products.
