Browsing: Space Station

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.