Page 12 - aruba-today-20201102

A12 science
Monday 2 noveMber 2020
Space station marking 20 years of people living in orbit

ing the space station running and
performing science experiments.
A few have even spent close to
a year up there on a single flight,
serving as medical guinea pigs.
Shepherd and his crew, by con-
trast, barely had time for a handful
of experiments.
The first couple weeks were so hec-
tic — "just working and working and
working," according to Gidzenko
— that they didn't shave for days.
It took awhile just to find the razors.
Even back then, the crew's favorite
pastime was gazing down at Earth.
It takes a mere 90 minutes for the
station to circle the world, allowing
astronauts to soak in a staggering
16 sunrises and 16 sunsets each
day.
The current residents — one Ameri-
can and two Russians, just like the
original crew — plan to celebrate
Monday's milestone by sharing a
special dinner, enjoying the views
of Earth and remembering all the
crews who came before them, es-
This photo provided by NASA shows the International Space Station as seen from the Space Shuttle Atlantis after the station pecially the first.
and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation on May 23, 2010.
Associated Press But it won't be a day off: "Probably
we'll be celebrating this day by
By MARCIA DUNN cussion with his crewmates. NASA's top concern nowadays hard work," Sergei Kud-Sverchkov
AP Aerospace Writer The space station has since is the growing threat from space said Friday from orbit.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The morphed into a complex that's junk. This year, the orbiting lab has One of the best outcomes of 20
International Space Station was almost as long as a football field, had to dodge debris three times. years of continuous space habita-
a cramped, humid, puny three with eight miles (13 kilometers) of As for station amenities, astronauts tion, according to Shepherd, is as-
rooms when the first crew moved electrical wiring, an acre of solar now have near-continuous com- tronaut diversity.
in. Twenty years and 241 visitors panels and three high-tech labs. munication with flight controllers While men still lead the pack, more
later, the complex has a lookout "It's 500 tons of stuff zooming around and even an internet phone for crews include women. Two U.S.
tower, three toilets, six sleeping in space, most of which never personal use. The first crew had women have served as space sta-
compartments and 12 rooms, de- touched each other until it got up sporadic radio contact with the tion skipper. Commanders typically
pending on how you count. there and bolted up," Shepherd ground; communication blackouts are American or Russian, but have
Monday marks two decades of told The Associated Press. "And it's could last hours. also come from Belgium, Germany,
a steady stream of people living all run for 20 years with almost no While the three astronauts got Italy, Canada and Japan. While
there. Astronauts from 19 countries big problems." along fine, tension sometimes bub- African-Americans have made
have floated through the space "It's a real testament to what can bled up between them and the short visits to the space station, the
station hatches, including many re- be done in these kinds of pro- two Mission Controls, in Houston first Black resident is due to arrive
peat visitors who arrived on shuttles grams," he said. and outside Moscow. Shepherd in mid-November on SpaceX's sec-
for short-term construction work, Shepherd, 71, is long retired from got so frustrated with the "conflict- ond astronaut flight.
and several tourists who paid their NASA and lives in Virginia Beach, ing marching orders" that he in- Massive undertakings like human
own way. Virginia. Krikalev, 62, and Gidzen- sisted they come up with a single Mars trips can benefit from the past
The first crew — American Bill Shep- ko, 58, have risen in the Russian plan. two decades of international ex-
herd and Russians Sergei Krikalev space ranks. Both were involved "I've got to say, that was my hap- perience and cooperation, Shep-
and Yuri Gidzenko — blasted off in the mid-October launch of the piest day in space," he said during herd said.
from Kazakhstan on Oct. 31, 2000. 64th crew. the panel discussion. "If you look at the space station
Two days later, they swung open The first thing the three did once ar- With its first piece launched in 1998, program today, it's a blueprint on
the space station doors, clasping riving at the darkened space sta- the International Space Station al- how to do it. All those questions
their hands in unity. tion on Nov. 2, 2000, was turn on ready has logged 22 years in orbit. about how this should be orga-
Shepherd, a former Navy SEAL who the lights, which Krikalev recalled NASA and its partners contend it nized and what it's going to look
served as the station command- as "very memorable." Then they easily has several years of useful- like, the big questions are already
er, likened it to living on a ship at heated water for hot drinks and ness left 260 miles (400 kilometers) behind us," he told the AP.
sea. The three spent most of their activated the lone toilet. up. Russia, for instance, kept station
time coaxing equipment to work; "Now we can live," Gidzenko re- The Mir station — home to Krikalev crews coming and going after
balky systems made the place too members Shepherd saying. "We and Gidzenko in the late 1980s and NASA's Columbia disaster in 2003
warm. Conditions were primitive, have lights, we have hot water 1990s — operated for 15 years be- and after the shuttles retired in
compared with now. and we have toilet." fore being guided to a fiery reen- 2011.
Installations and repairs took hours The crew called their new home try over the Pacific in 2001. Russia's When Shepherd and his crew-
at the new space station, versus Alpha, but the name didn't stick. earlier stations and America's 1970s mates returned to Earth aboard
minutes on the ground, Krikalev re- Although pioneering the way, the Skylab had much shorter life spans, shuttle Discovery after nearly five
called. three had no close calls during as did China's much more recent months, his main objective had
"Each day seemed to have its own their nearly five months up there, orbital outposts. been accomplished.
set of challenges," Shepherd said Shepherd said, and so far the sta- Astronauts spend most of their "Our crew showed that we can
during a recent NASA panel dis- tion has held up relatively well. six-month stints these days keep- work together," he said.q