A House Floating in the Sky#
Can you imagine living in a floating house?
400 kilometers above Earth, a “house” orbits our planet — it’s the International Space Station (ISS).
The ISS is as big as a football field, weighing 420 tons.
It circles Earth every 90 minutes — meaning astronauts see 16 sunrises every day!
Why Build a House in Space?#
The ISS is a space laboratory.
Scientists conduct all kinds of experiments there — like growing plants in zero gravity, studying human body changes, and testing new materials.
These experiments can’t be done on Earth because space has no gravity.
The ISS is also a “transit station” for humans traveling to more distant planets — maybe a future trip to Mars will start from here.
Life as an Astronaut#
Astronauts live on the ISS for 6 months at a time.
What is their life like?
Sleeping: They have to strap themselves to their beds, or they’ll float away.
Eating: Food is vacuum-packed and squeezed out to eat. Drinking requires a straw, or water turns into floating spheres.
Exercise: They must exercise 2 hours daily, or their muscles and bones weaken. They use special equipment for running and weightlifting.
Bathroom: Uses “suction” — because water floats, you can’t flush.
How Was It Built?#
The ISS wasn’t built all at once — it was assembled like building blocks, piece by piece.
Starting in 1998, 16 countries cooperated for over 10 years, launching more than 40 rockets to assemble it.
Participating countries include the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and several European nations. This is one of the largest international cooperation projects in human history.
The ISS Is Retiring Soon#
The ISS has been working for 25 years.
Its design lifespan is ending. Scientists plan to “retire” it around 2030 — making it re-enter the atmosphere in a controlled burn.
A new space station may replace it then.
Learn from the World#
The ISS teaches us one thing: cooperation can make the impossible possible.
16 countries put aside their differences to build this “house” in space together.
Maybe the world’s greatest achievements can’t be done by one person alone — only through cooperation can we go further.
Knowledge Card#
- Location: Orbit about 400 kilometers above Earth
- Type: Modern Engineering Marvel
- Key Numbers: 109 meters long, 420 tons, can accommodate 6 astronauts
- Cooperating Countries: USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and European nations
- Fun Fact: The ISS travels at 28,000 km/h — 8 times faster than a bullet
- Source: NASA