A space station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth that serves as a home where astronauts can live and work for extended periods. Unlike spacecraft that are used for short missions, space stations are designed for longer-term human habitation in space and can be visited by a succession of different crews. The most famous and complex space station currently in orbit is the International Space Station (ISS), a collaborative project involving multiple countries including the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and several European nations. The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory where scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. Space stations are critical for testing the equipment and conditions needed for potentially long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space.
Astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station engaged in life science studies and routine maintenance tasks. Key activities included biological sample collection, robotic experiments,…
The Artemis IV mission is a pivotal step in NASA’s long-term lunar exploration strategy, featuring the construction of Gateway, the first lunar space station, which…
NASA’s upcoming Gateway space station, set to orbit the Moon, will rely heavily on its Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for energy and maintaining its…
Macau University researchers studied fungi behavior under hypergravity, revealing both the risks and potential benefits of fungi in space missions. Future studies will investigate other…
Scientists designed and analyzed water droplet experiments that were conducted on the International Space Station. Understanding how water droplets spread and coalesce is essential for…
Artificial gravity is still a science fiction concept. However, coping with zero gravity causes a variety of issues among astronauts, ranging from bone degradation to…
Mission managers have given the go for two astronauts to exit the International Space Station on Wednesday for a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. Meanwhile, three Expedition 66…
Sustained human presence in space has been a core goal of NASA for decades. NASA’s recent Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development lays out…
NASA has signed agreements with three U.S. companies to develop designs of space stations and other commercial destinations in space. The agreements are part of…
NASA and SpaceX now are targeting 1:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday, November 3, for the agency’s Crew-3 launch to the International Space Station due to a…
An astronaut photograph shows the proximity of a volcanic eruption to nearby cities on the Spanish island of La Palma. A volcanic eruption on La…
Strings of light emanate from the Imperial Palace in the city’s center and follow the expressway system outward. Months before the world turned its eye…
China launched Tianhe-1, the first and main module of a permanent orbiting space station called Tiangong (Heavenly Palace 天 宫), on April 29. Two additional…
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission with NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is now targeting a return to Earth at…
The three Expedition 63 crew members spent another day inside the Russian segment of the International Space Station. This allowed Mission controllers to continue their leak…
Two spacewalks are set to continue upgrading power systems at the International Space Station at the end of the month. The Expedition 63 crew is…
Cosmic-ray data collected by the AMS detector on the International Space Station again challenge conventional theory of cosmic-ray origin and propagation. Ever since astronauts attached…
A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to the International…