The most costly human-made object made by humans is in space. The International Space Station ranks in the Guinness World Records as the most costly thing at any point made at an expense of $150 billion. As per CNBC, the space station costs NASA $4 billion every year to manage.
Development started in 1998, and the station has been persistently occupied since November 2, 2000.
Purpose and Function
The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory. It has been crucial for conducting a wide range of scientific experiments, including:
- Studying the effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body
- Developing new technologies for space exploration
- Observing Earth and its atmosphere
- Conducting materials science experiments
Design and Size
The ISS is a mind-boggling structure made out of different interconnected modules. It includes living quarters, research facilities, an exercise center, and mechanical arms(robots). The station is generally the size of a football field and orbits Earth at an average altitude of about 400 kilometers.
Countries Contribution
In the 1980s, NASA decided to lay out a measured space station called Freedom. It was assured that one country is not enough to build a World Wide Space Station. Subsequently, the European Space Organization (ESA) and Russian space office Roscosmos, JAXA from Japan, and CSA of Canada additionally worked together to make the International Space Station.
Future challenges
Maintaining the ISS in orbit is a complex and costly endeavor. The station requires regular maintenance, repairs, and resupply missions. Despite these challenges, the ISS continues to be a vital tool for scientific research and exploration.
It reaches the end of its operational life, plans are underway for its eventual decommissioning. Some possibilities include controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere or boosting it into a higher orbit to become a space debris.