The International Space Station (ISS) is among the greatest
international cooperative endeavors in the history of engineering, science, and
technology. The permanently crewed orbital laboratory enables scientific
research supporting innovation on Earth and future deep space exploration. The
platform’s external space and interior microgravity environment support
fundamental and applied physical, chemical and biological investigations paving
the way to profound discovery and commercial applications.
It is made up of a series of interconnected modules
for habitation and banks of solar panels for power. The space station is
maintained by a number of countries including the European Space Agency, NASA,
and the Russian Federal Space Agency.
The first module of the ISS
was launched into space in 1998 and the initial construction of the station
took about two years to complete. Human occupation of the station began on
November 2, 2000. Since that time, the ISS has been continuously
occupied. The ISS serves as both an orbiting laboratory and a port for
international spacecraft. The primary partnering countries involved in
operating the ISS include the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia.
The ISS orbits at approximately 220 miles above the Earth and it travels at
an average speed of 27,724 kilometers (17,227 miles) per hour. The ISS makes
multiple orbits around the Earth every day.
Southern Britain enjoyed the best view of the man-made
satellite, which looks like a small ball of light moving across the sky
when viewed from earth. It crossed the sky at about 5.20pm and was visible for
about three minutes.
Mr Marchant said: "It looks pretty much like a bright star. There's
plenty of opportunity to get a plane mixed up with the ISS. "However, the
ISS doesn't have any flashing lights and doesn't make a noise, so that's two
ways to tell the difference."
The children of Britain that looked to the sky to see Santa's sleigh
that night caught a glimpse of the craft as the International Space Station
passed over the UK.
Elena Haste
@elsbells78 tweeted: Kids, I just saw Santa flying over Winchester at 5.22pm!!! (Adults: it was the International Space Station)
The ISS confirmed the lies by parents to their children that Santa lives at the North Pole.
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