August 9th 2024.
It's highly unlikely that you'll find any available rooms at the International Space Station on any real estate website, but it's still an impressive place to live. With six bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a gym, not to mention a breathtaking 360° view, it's actually more affordable to rent than a one-bedroom apartment in London.
Since its launch into Earth's orbit in 1998, the space station has welcomed over 270 visitors from 20 different countries. The most recent inhabitants, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, never planned on calling it home. They were initially sent up on a short mission to test Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft in July. The plan was for them to spend a maximum of eight days in orbit before returning to Earth.
NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX, founded by the famous Elon Musk, to create new spacecrafts to replace their retired shuttles. These companies act as a taxi service for transporting astronauts to and from the space station. However, due to some technical issues with the Starliner's thrusters and helium leaks, Suni and Butch may now be stuck on the ISS until 2025.
The Starliner's thrusters use helium to propel the spacecraft, but if too much gas is lost, the thrusters can fail. In order to ensure the safety of the astronauts, NASA has decided to keep them on the space station until they can figure out and fix the problem. This means that Suni and Butch will potentially spend months living aboard the ISS.
Despite these unexpected hiccups, the Starliner successfully docked at the space station on July 3rd. However, as it was approaching, some glitches in the propulsion systems caused the thrusters to behave strangely. Luckily, the ship's computers were able to guide it safely to the docking port. Scientists are still unsure of the cause of these issues, so for now, Suni and Butch have been advised to make themselves at home on the ISS while engineers work on a solution.
One question that may come to mind is how will they eventually get back to Earth? Well, NASA has assured us that they have a plan in place and Suni and Butch are not stranded on the space station. The Starliner is currently attached to the Harmony module of the ISS and has enough battery power to stay docked for approximately 45 days. If needed, backup generators could potentially extend this time to 72 days. If they are unable to return on the Starliner, they will have to hitch a ride on a different spacecraft in February of 2025.
In terms of size, the ISS is just under the length of an American football field at 356 feet. That's like having a football field floating above us in space! It also has an impressive amount of solar panels, covering an acre, and a habitable volume of 13,696 cubic feet for the crew members, not including visiting vehicles.
The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of 250 miles and can often be seen with the naked eye. So, what will Suni and Butch's daily life be like on the space station? Well, it's been continuously occupied since 2000, with a new crew of four astronauts arriving every six months to replace the previous crew. Their main responsibilities include general upkeep of the ISS, which can involve long spacewalks and a workday of about 16 hours.
As it is also a space laboratory, many of the residents spend their time conducting experiments to study the effects of radiation and zero gravity on the human body. Living in space essentially turns them into living experiments. But it's not all work and no play, some astronauts have even been known to bring a guitar and serenade their fellow crew members with David Bowie's "Space Oddity".
Living in space also means getting used to everything floating, including themselves. In their spare time, some crew members take up hobbies like growing plants, caring for rodents, or testing out new gadgets like espresso machines and 3D printers to see how they function without gravity. They can also stay in touch with their loved ones through email and phone calls, and some even give talks to schools from the ISS.
And for those days when they may need a break from their daily routine, the crew can request movies and TV shows from mission control to watch while they gaze at the Earth below from their window. So, if you find yourself wondering how astronauts shower in space, the answer is they usually use wet wipes and dry shampoo. But, who knows, maybe one day they'll have a zero-gravity shower on the ISS as well.
If you're in search of a new place to live, you probably won't find the International Space Station (ISS) listed on RightMove. But it's worth noting that even with its six bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360° view, renting a room on the ISS would still be cheaper than a one-bedroom apartment in London.
Since its launch in 1998, the ISS has welcomed more than 270 visitors from over 20 countries. The latest residents are Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, although they never intended to call the ISS home. They were initially sent up for a brief visit to test Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in July. The plan was for them to spend eight days in orbit and then return back to Earth.
NASA has hired Boeing and SpaceX, founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to build replacements for its retired space shuttles. These spacecrafts serve as a taxi service, transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. However, due to technical issues with the Starliner, Suni and Butch may end up staying on the ISS until 2025. The spacecraft's thrusters malfunctioned and helium leaks were discovered while it was docked, which could potentially cause the thrusters to fail.
Despite these hiccups, the Starliner successfully docked at the ISS on July 3rd. However, as it was docking, there were some glitches in the propulsion systems which caused the thrusters to behave strangely. Luckily, the spacecraft's computers were able to guide it safely to the ISS. Scientists are still unsure why these issues occurred, but in the meantime, Suni and Butch have been instructed to make themselves at home on the ISS while engineers on the ground work to resolve the problems.
But what about their journey back home? Don't worry, NASA has a plan in place. Agency and Boeing officials have reassured the public that Suni and Butch are not stranded on the ISS and efforts are being made to determine the cause of the malfunctions. The Starliner is currently docked to the ISS and has enough battery power to remain there for about 45 days, although backup generators could extend this to 72 days if needed. If they are unable to return on the Starliner, they will have to catch a ride on a different spaceship, which wouldn't be until February 2025 when a reconfigured SpaceX Crew Dragon is scheduled to visit the ISS.
The ISS is just under the size of an American football field, measuring about 356 feet in length. It has an acre's worth of solar panels and 13,696 cubic feet of habitable space for crew members, not including visiting vehicles. It orbits the Earth at an altitude of 250 miles and can often be seen with the naked eye.
So, what will Suni and Butch's life be like on the ISS? Well, the space station has been continuously occupied since 2000, with NASA sending four astronauts every six months to replace the previous crew. The astronauts spend their days performing various tasks, such as conducting experiments to understand how their bodies are affected by radiation and the lack of gravity. Living on the ISS essentially turns them into human guinea pigs. They also have to maintain the space station, which often involves long spacewalks and a workday that lasts about 16 hours. But it's not all work and no play, as some residents have been known to play the guitar and sing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" in their free time.
In addition to their duties, the crew members can also grow plants, take care of rodents, and test out new gadgets like espresso machines and 3D printers to see if they work in zero gravity. They can also communicate with their loved ones back on Earth through email and phone calls, and some even participate in talks with schools. And if they ever get bored, they can request movies and TV shows from mission control to watch in their spare time.
But one question that may come to mind is, how do they shower? Well, since there is no running water on the ISS, astronauts use special wet wipes and a towel to keep clean. But with the lack of gravity, everything floats, making for an interesting shower experience.
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