Discussion Questions: Ask a few discussion questions to get students to think about the upcoming

lesson:

 What do you know about the International Space Station?

 Why was it created?
 Who is creating and building it?
 What is it like to live in space?

population - develop - panels - speed – goal - crew - access

Led by the US, 16 nations including Russia, Canada, Japan, 11 nations of the European Space
Agency and Brazil have joined forces to ____________ the International Space Station (ISS). The
_________ is to determine whether human beings can live for periods of time in space. The ISS
orbits about 250 miles (~400 km) above Earth with an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees, which
means that the path of the ISS varies with each revolution. Traveling at a _______ of about 28,000
kilometers an hour, the ISS circles the Earth every 90 minutes for about 16 orbits a day. (That
means astronauts see a sunset or sunrise out the window every 45 minutes!) The variable and
frequent orbit gives the international partners easy _______ to deliver crews and supplies. The orbit
also permits excellent Earth observations, covering 85% of the globe and flying over 95% of the
___________.
Weighing more than one million pounds (~450,000 kg) and about 25% bigger than a football field,
the ISS is a miniature city in space. Almost an acre (4 hectare) of solar _______ provide electricity
to six laboratories. The area in which the _______ lives and works is only about the size of a school
bus, but it has a great view, especially when crew members venture outside for space walks. 
Research in Space
The primary mission of the ISS is scientific and engineering research in space. Many types of
research are being conducted, including tissue and protein cultures for medical applications,
anatomy studies to observe how the human body changes in space, and studies of space itself —
how the universe is changing and a distant perspective of Earth. Following are some experiments
reported by NASA:
Life in Low Gravity: This study examines the long-term effects of microgravity on the bones of
humans who spend an extended time in space. Preliminary results show a loss of ~11% of total hip
bone mass during a six-month mission. In the absence of gravity, the human skeleton does not
perform its primary function of supporting the body's weight, so space station astronauts experience
disuse osteoporosis, a type of bone loss common in immobile patients.
Fire in Space: A team of scientists and engineers developed a space station experiment to help
engineers design smoke detectors that perceive smoke in space. Smoke particles tend to form
differently in a microgravity environment, making the typical household smoke detector unsuitable
for use in space. Engineers must design smoke detectors that are sensitive to the different smoke
particle, and can detect a fire early without causing too many false alarms.
Crew Earth Observations: ISS crew members photograph natural and human-made changes on
Earth. They take pictures to capture the Earth's surface changing over time, including events such as
storms, floods, fires and volcanic eruptions, and even urban land use and deforestation. These
images help researchers on Earth understand how our planet is changing.
Solar Cells: Solar cells convert sunshine into electricity and are used for many applications on Earth
and in space. Thousands of solar cells hooked together generate enough energy to power the ISS.
Since solar cells tend to degrade over time, especially in the harsh environment of space, engineers
designed improved solar cells that are lighter, more efficient and more durable. This project tests
how these new designs perform and endure in space.
Heat Shields: Since radiation is a danger to humans, this project examines how to keep space crews
safe during high radiation exposure from the Sun or cosmic rays. Engineers explore new shielding
materials to better block radiation. Engineers work on types of radiation shields for the spacecraft
itself — materials that protect the crew from radiation and also deflect dangerous micrometeoroids.
Shielding must be durable, but light enough to carry into space. This project also explores
developing medical treatments to counteract human exposure to radiation.

 Who would like to visit the International Space Station some day?
 What would you do if you were up there?
 Do you think that humans would ever be forced to live there?

NASA Proposals: Engineers from different countries designed different sections of the ISS, called
modules. Some of these modules include laboratories, control rooms, and living quarters or
"galleys." Ask student pairs to think about a specific room on Earth that they would want to have if
they lived in space. Have them write a letter to NASA to suggest the next module (room) to be
added to the space station. Why would that module be important to add?