CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The International Space Station is a large spacecraft that orbits Earth roughly 250 miles above the surface and is where astronauts live. According to NASA, the space station is used to learn about living and working in space, which in turn will help NASA explore space further.
The space station is made up of many pieces. According to NASA, the first piece was launched in 1998 by a Russian rocket. More pieces were later added. It took two years for the space station to be ready for people. The first crew arrived on Nov. 2, 2000. The space station was finished in 2011.
So, how big is the space station? Well, NASA says the inside of the space station is as big as a five-bedroom house. It has two bathrooms and a gymnasium. And it weighs almost 1 million pounds. It also contains science labs from the United States, Russia, Japan and Europe. These labs are used for research, which could not be done on Earth.
NASA says scientists study what happens to people when they live in space. These lessons will help further space exploration.
If you would like to view the International Space Station, click the link here and then click on your city.
If you're in the Charlotte-area, you can view the International Space Station Wednesday night.
