The configuration of the ISS is very interesting and special, it is different from the current satellites, spaceships and space stations that have been launched into space, it is built by a combination of various rods made of high-tech materials, which is also known as the double keel structure. After the construction is completed, the whole space station consists of 12 modules with a volume of 1,200 cubic meters and a total weight of about 450 tons. Various modules and equipment were installed on this huge truss. These include a habitation module, an experimental module, the truss body, an airlock module, a resource module, and equipment such as power engines, which are manufactured by the United States, as well as a polar-orbiting platform. The United States, as the initiator of the ISS, plays an important role in it, and in fact acts as the leader, providing the most equipment for the station.
Thanks to the Russians, the ISS consists of two main parts, the originally planned Freedom space station and the Mir 2 space station, which Russia plans to develop. The two are connected by a multifunctional module to form a whole, which changes the configuration of the ISS from a truss to a truss-and-module structure. The Russians, as pioneers of space station technology, will undoubtedly play an important role in joining, with Russia responsible for providing a service module, a docking module, a storage module, a life support module, and three research modules, among others.
The following is a brief introduction to the internal structure of the ISS:
The habitation module. The habitation module is where astronauts live and rest, including the kitchen, conference room, bathroom, bedroom, medical equipment, exercise equipment and so on. The kitchen is fully equipped with a toaster oven, refrigerator, garbage disposal, and sink. The habitation module was undertaken by the U.S. to develop and launch into space.
Service module. It contains scientific instruments and equipment and other service facilities, but also contains part of the residential function, developed by Russia and has been by the Russian "Proton" launch vehicle on July 12, 2000 launched into space.
Functional cargo module. It is equipped with life-support facilities for cosmonauts, a part of habitation function, as well as power supply, fuel staging area, etc., with multi-directional docking ports on the outside of the capsule, which was developed by Russia and launched on November 20, 1998 by the Russian launch vehicle.
Multiple test modules. The test module is the place where various scientific experiments are conducted, and it is the center of command and control of the space station. The test module is the highest test chamber in the world. Here, research in biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and pharmacology can be conducted. There are one in the United States, one in ESA, one in Japan and three in Russia. The three test chambers in the United States, Japan and ESA will provide a total of 33 international standard payload cabinets; the Russian test chamber also contains 20 test machine cabinets. In addition, the Japanese test module has an off-station exposure platform attached for direct exposure tests to the space environment. To the best of our knowledge, the ESA-developed Columbus module was launched by Atlantis on February 11, 2008, while a Japanese-developed module was launched on May 11, 2008, by Discovery. "A Japanese-developed capsule was launched on May 11, 2008, by the Discovery launch vehicle.
Nodal modules. Developed by the U.S. and ESA, they serve as conduits connecting segments and as exits for astronauts to carry out extravehicular activities. Node module is relatively small, in the formation of the space station period, it is the astronauts for extravehicular activities of the entrance and exit. After the completion of the station, in addition to being used for connecting the modules, the node module can be used as a storage warehouse or installed with power conditioning cabinets to provide electrical power. In addition, the Node 1 module can be used as a warehouse for storage; the Node 2 module has a circuit regulator cabinet for converting electrical energy for use by international collaborators; the Node 3 module is the space station's entrance and exit point for extravehicular activities. Node 3" module for the expansion of the space station. The Unity node module, developed by the United States, was launched on December 4, 1998, by the space shuttle Endeavour. The Harmony node module, developed by the Italian Space Agency, was launched on Oct. 23, 2007, by the space shuttle Atlantis.
Service systems. The station's servicing systems include the Russian Functional Cargo Module (RFCM), the Canadian Mobile Servicing System (CMSS) and the Russian Servicing Module (RSM). The Canadian Mobile Service System has a 16.8-meter remotely operated arm capable of carrying 125 tons of cargo and can move along the main truss for assembly, repair and replacement of station hardware. The Russian Service Module has life support systems, thrusters and habitation functions (including toilet and sanitary facilities) and weighs 20 tons. The station's transportation systems include the Soyuz manned spacecraft and the Endeavour cargo spacecraft, the latter of which delivers propellant to the station four times a year. The command and control of the station is shared by the U.S. and Russia, with the Johnson Space Center of the U.S. being mainly responsible for the station and the space shuttle, and the Kaliningrad Space Center of Russia being mainly responsible for the flight of manned spaceships and cargo spacecrafts to the station, as well as the flight of spaceships away from the station, and it is also the backup control center for the operation of the space station.
Energy systems and solar cell sail panels. They were provided by both the U.S. and Russia, and both have been launched.
The final ISS consists of six experimental modules (one for the U.S., one for ESA, one for Japan, and three for Russia), a U.S. habitation module (with restrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and medical equipment), two nodal modules, and service and transportation systems.
In the U.S., Japanese and European test modules, *** there are 33 standard racks for ISS payloads, including 13 in the U.S. test module, 10 in the Japanese module and 10 in the ESA module. After the station is assembled in an orbit about 350 kilometers high, it will be slowly nudged to an orbit of about 460 kilometers.
The ISS is an international cooperative project involving more than a dozen countries, and it is another unprecedentedly large space project, so you can imagine that its construction will require long-term efforts and cooperation among people, and each participating country is actively studying its construction. In recent years, the development of the ISS has been difficult, and it is not an exaggeration to describe the progress of the ISS as "too much of a good thing". There are two main reasons for this. On the one hand, due to political and economic reasons, the program of the International Space Station has been changed several times, and its several name changes also illustrate this point, the earliest want to use all truss type, but after analyzing the technology is too complex, cost too much money, and also risky, coupled with the United States at that time the economy is not very good, some people opposed to this plan, that the development of this behemoth of the value of the cost of the behemoth is far from being able to meet its needs, and therefore it was almost canceled. The Americans had to rethink the simplification program and reduce the development costs. But even then the total development cost was more than $50 billion, so you can see the scale of it. The other thing was the inclusion of the Russians. Undeniably, the Russians have a wealth of experience in space technology, in the field of space technology, several of the first are created by the Russians, but how can not help the Russians are a clay Bodhisattva over the river - their own difficulties, the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Russia's economic downturn, there is no money for the development of the space station, and therefore can not be delivered on time, so that the entire program had to be delayed for more than a year.
And on the other hand is the technical reasons, can imagine, such a complex huge system, by so many countries involved, from the organization to the technology is how complex! As soon as one country drags its feet, the whole project suffers. In terms of technology, it is the first time in the history of world spaceflight that such a huge system adopts the truss-type modular space assembly structure. And it has many systems and high requirements. What we have described earlier is only the main structure and equipment of the ISS proper, in the first phase of the project, while there are more systems, equipment and components that make up the station.
In addition to the space station itself, there are a series of supporting facilities and safeguard facilities. For example, the space station's launch site, launch vehicle, tracking and orbit measurement, logistics and space station management, maintenance and troubleshooting, and a series of other work must be followed. Let's take an example to illustrate: the test devices and test samples on the space station and the orbital platform have to be replaced at least once every six months under normal circumstances, and the astronauts have to go into these vehicles to take out the devices or samples that have completed the tests and send them back to the ground; and then the devices or samples that have been brought up from the ground have to be placed in a good position. Then, for example, the consumables on the space station such as various gases, various liquids and spare parts need to be delivered regularly, especially above the astronauts need to live supplies is more so. According to reports, more than 650 kilograms of food, more than 200 kilograms of clothing and other necessities have to be sent from the ground for an astronaut every year, which, if launch costs are included, adds up to more than 1 billion U.S. dollars for one year's maintenance.
Another technical problem is that the assembly of such a huge space station is also extremely complex and unprecedented.
Despite all the hard work and all the good things that have come out of it, it has moved forward. In previous years, some of the flight test work of the countries concerned was to prepare for the launch, assembly, maintenance and management of the ISS, and to train astronauts for work practice. For example, the two major spacefaring nations of the world, Russia and the United States, conducted nine dockings between the United States Space Shuttle and the Russian space station Mir from 1994 to 1998, and did not finish their work until June 1998, which greatly trained the astronauts' mental qualities and improved their ability to operate in space in the event of a malfunction, The psychological training of the cosmonauts and their ability to operate and troubleshoot in space in the event of a malfunction were extremely useful on board the ISS. It was reported that on November 20, 1998, a multifunctional cargo capsule called Aurora was launched by Russia on a Proton-K carrier rocket, which was capable of providing control, fuel storage and power supply services; and on December 3, 1998, the United States of America launched a space shuttle cargo capsule called Aurora on the Space Shuttle. On December 3, 1998, the United States launched a node module called Unity and a docking vehicle on the Space Shuttle, and on December 6, 1998, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour successfully captured the Aurora after a two-day chase. Aurora's functional cargo module, and on the same day docked the first two components of the ISS, the Aurora cargo module and the Unity node module. Docking. Currently, the ISS is in the process of being set up in an orderly manner.