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What is the most expensive machine ever built, costing about $ 150 billion?
If the sky is clear, you will be able to see it every day above the planet because it is the third brightest object of the night sky, after the moon and Venus (the best viewing hours are dawn and Twilight).
The International Space Station celebrates its 20th anniversary around the Earth by completing 16 orbits of the planet each day. Construction work began on November 20, 1998, but the station's most remarkable achievements were no doubt obtained in November 2000, with the arrival of the first human crew: a Navy Seal and two Russian cosmonauts. Since that time, humans have always lived in space; Some 230 visitors from 18 countries came and left the ISS.
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As such, the space station is not only a technological success, but also a remarkable example of international cooperation. "The way we have put this program in place with our international partners is without a doubt the best example of how we can peacefully and successfully do complicated things," CNET told the astronaut at NASA retirement Nicole Stott, earlier this year.
The construction of the ISS has been a marvel of engineering; all materials had to be launched in a series of launches and then assembled in a hostile and airless environment.
"Performing one of these trips safely was a major challenge, but the design of the station required 30 of them to provide the basic elements of the station," writes David Nixon in his book "Space Station International: Architecture Beyond the Earth ". In the end, 42 flights were handled with the main components, 37 on American shuttles and five on Russian spacecraft.) "Against all odds, all came to orbit safely and seamlessly, where they assembled correctly and accurately. "
The last US shuttle mission in 2011 provided the materials needed to complete the station. Today, it's as long as a football field powered by nearly two-thirds of an acre of solar panels.
For its 20 years, the ISS is about to receive a 3D printer that will help to recycle its plastic waste into new useful objects. Called the "Refabricator", the aircraft is expected to reduce the amount of cargo that arrives through costly replenishment missions from the Earth.
Despite its record, the ISS may not have a long-term future. The United States may decide to end funding in the next decade. The station could then pass into private hands, as part of the ongoing privatization of spaceflight.
Even if the station was abandoned, she will have recorded a long list of achievements. With 665 days aboard the ISS, for example, Peggy Whitson of NASA set the record for the longest human stay in space.
The station helped researchers better understand how humans react to life and work in space (crew members made 205 spacewalks to build and maintain the ISS). It is a valuable preparation for the possible construction of a space station orbiting the moon, which would play a vital role in the return of humans to the nearest neighbor of the Earth. And, of course, for the possibility of long trips to Mars.
The considerable expense and difficulty of space travel and colonization mean that the combined efforts of the nations of the world will make it possible for them to do the best they can. Regardless of their country of origin, travelers who look at the blue ball called Earth since the ISS see no national boundary, only a common home. The multinational effort behind the construction of the ISS should be an inspiration – and a stepping stone – for closer international cooperation on Earth.
So, look in the night sky. You can just see a bright spot where the permanent settlement of space begins.
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