ISS
The International Space Station(ISS) that has been flying manned since the 2nd of Nov 2000.
International Space Station
First module Zarya launched 20 November 1998 to Current (upto 2024)
The ISS programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA with a Crew of 6 (planed to be increase to 7 in 2018)
To get to the ISS currently is using the Russian Soyuz and in future SpaceX Crew Dragon and also Boeing's Starliner will also be used.
SpaceX Dragon leaving the ISS (4K)
The ISS travels at a maximum altitude at around 435 km (270 mi) but at that height is still close enough for Earths atmosphere at that level to slow it down and lose height to 330 km (205 mi) by that level it needs to be boosted to regain height so as to avoid damage and ultimately not to deorbit.
The ISS travels in a slightly elliptical orbit (Eccentricity approximately 0.0005) so its height above mean sea level varies by around 7km during its orbit.
Interestingly the ISS is still experiencing over 90% of Earth gravity yet astronauts in the ISS experience weightlessness due to the ISS being in Free Fall around the Earth. Also the ISS is only in Low Earth orbit(LEO) not that far above us compared to the diameter of the Earth, it hardly registers any distance at all above Earth if viewed from the many times higher Geostationary orbit at 35,786 km (22,236 mi) above Earth's equator (The ISS is very close to Earth).
The ISS is a great introduction to stargazing as it can be clearly see moving in the night sky when passing overhead, to point up and to say that there are people in space inside of that moving glowing dot can be exciting to think of, click on this link to see where the ISS is
ISSTracker ~ Real-Time Location Tracking of the International Space Station
13 people onboard the ISS in July 2009
The Logistics of the International Space Station
Spot the International Space Station (NASA link)
FUTURE of ISS
The USA has plans to stop funding the ISS beyond 2024 (maybe 2028 now)
The Russians have built three new modules but have started to install them on the ISS(2021) after putting them on hold partly due to finance and also the uncertainty of the US to support the ISS beyond 2024 at which time the current plan is to deorbit the USA modules and the Russians will then add their new modules to their ISS core. (They will need to replace the deorbited US power systems at least). The Russian space agency Roscosmos has even floated the idea of building a “luxury” hotel module for the International Space Station but unlikely, good article here 'Luxury Space Hotel' to Launch in 2022 (https://www.space.com/40207-space-hotel-launch-2021-aurora-station.html)
The Trump administration ordered NASA to look into privatisation of the ISS. One company Axiom Space has plans now to launch anew modules to the ISS beginning in 2024, meanwhile SpaceX is delivering Axiom crew to the ISS on their Crew Dragon from 2022.
NASA has selected 13 companies to study the future of commercial human spaceflight in low-Earth orbit, including long-range opportunities for the International Space Station by December 2018.
One of the companies is Bigelow Aerospace who already have their BEAM module already attached to the ISS, they have been working with NASA looking at the possibilities of adding a much larger habitat to the ISS called Xbase. Now joined a list of cancelled Modules,
Graphic of Bigelow’s ISS Xbase with SpaceX crewed Dragon 2 docked.
A list from NASA of the other big players paid by NASA to respond to the latest NASA request to privatise the ISS. Link NASA Invests in Concepts for a Vibrant Future Commercial Space Economy