UNIT 10: SPACE TRAVEL
I.

Match the words or phrases with their definitions.

1.

rocket

a. a piece of clothing worn by a person who travels in space

2.

satellite

b. a piece of rock from outer space that hits the earth's surface

3.

space station

c. a zero-gravity flight

4.

spaceline

d. an optical instrument that makes far away objects look closer

5.

spacewalk

e. a vehicle used for travel in space

6.

spacesuit

f. a large structure in space where people can live and work

7.

spacecraft

g. a large cylinder-shaped object that moves very fast by forcing out
burning gases

8.

meteorite

h. an act of moving around in space outside a spacecraft

9.

telescope

i. a device sent into space, used for communicating by radio,
television, etc. or gathering information

10. parabolic flight

j. a company that carries out space flights

II. Complete the sentences with the words from the box. Modify the words if necessary.
cosmonaut

astronomy

habitable

astronauts

microgravity

1.

rinseless
mission
altitude
maintenance
weightless
The astronauts became _______ on going into orbit round the earth.

2.

When _______ go to space, they float due to the lack of gravity.

3.

NASA intends to land its first manned _______ on Mars in 10 years' time.

4.

After the Earth, Mars is the most _______ planet in our solar system.

5.

_______ is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless.

6.

The plane is now flying at a(n) _______ of 30,000 feet.

7.

On April 12, 1961, Soviet _______ Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first human being to travel
into space.

8.

The space station requires routine _______ and safety checks on most days.

9.

_______ is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena.

10. Astronauts wash their hair with a _______ shampoo so they don't need to get their hair wet.
III. Complete the sentences with the correct tense or form of the verbs in the box.
orbit

experience

launch

land

attach

float

1.

cooperate
descend
recount
train
Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, _______ into Earth orbit on 4 October 1957.

2.

NASA prepares its astronauts for a microgravity environment by _______ them on parabolic flights.

3.

A mysterious spacecraft _______ the Earth for the past 720 days.

4.

It took less than an hour before the plane began _______ down to a small town.

5.

Astronauts _______ around in space because there is no gravity in space.

6.

Parabolic flights allow passengers _______ weightlessness without actually going to space.

7.

Visiting astronauts can sleep anywhere in the ISS so long as they _______ themselves to something.

8.

The former NASA astronaut _______ his experiences living and working aboard the International
Space Station.

9.

NASA's Curiosity rover _______ on Mars in 2012 with a mission to find out if Mars is suitable for life.

10. Nearly any technical problem can be solved when crew and ground controllers _______.
IV. Choose the correct idioms to complete the sentences.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Joe was _______ when he got a job with his dream company.
a. out of this world

b. over the moon

c. once in a blue moon

d. many moons ago

_______ I go to the cinema, only when there's a film I really, really want to see.
a. Over the moon

b. Out of this world

c. Once in a blue moon

d. Many moons ago

That's the coolest thing I've ever seen. It's really _______.
a. out of this world

b. calling it a day

c. the sky's the limit

d. once in a blue moon

He asked his dad to buy him a yacht as a birthday present. I think he was _______.
a. once in a blue moon

b. out of this world

c. promising the moon

d. asking for the moon

You've heard the saying, “_______” . It's meant to indicate that you can achieve anything if you want.
a. Reach for the stars.

b. Come back down to earth.

c. The sky's the limit.

d. Everything under the sun.

He's living _______ if he thinks he's going to get £5000 for his old car.
a. out of this world

b. on another planet

c. under the sun

d. over the moon

She's very intelligent and knowledgeable. She can talk about everything _______.
a. over the moon

b. out of this world

c. on another planet

d. under the sun

I really _______ returning to work after my two-week holiday in Spain.
a. asked for the moon

b. lived on another planet

c. came back down to earth

d. was once in a blue moon

We went to Paris _______, I'm sure it has changed a lot since then.
a. many moons ago

b. once in a blue moon

c. over the moon

d. under the sun

10. I doubt she'll actually become a famous actress - she just has _______.
a. out of this world

b. the sky's the limit

c. on another planet

d. stars in her eyes

V. Underline the correct form.
1.

When Anne opened / had opened the door, she realized that somebody broke / had broken into.

2.

He couldn't make a sandwich because he forgot / had forgotten to buy bread.

3.

Clyde Tombaugh discovered / had discovered the planet Pluto in 1930.

4.

By the time Julia left / had left the shop, she spent / had spent all her money on clothes.

5.

I didn't want/ hadn't wanted to see that film because I saw / had seen it twice.

6.

Philip tidied / had tidied his bedroom before he left / had left for work.

7.

When he painted / had painted the kitchen he decided / had decided to have a rest.

8.

Alfred had worked / worked in a bank for five years before he was sent to Rome.

9.

He doubted that he saw / had seen her somewhere before.

10. After he had / had had a good night's sleep, he felt / had felt much better.
11. In 1998, Glenn attracted / had attracted media attention when he returned / had returned to space
aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
12. He touched down / had touched down in Kazakhstan at 11:26 pm, having completed 340 days in space.
13. Did James already cooked / Had James already cooked breakfast when you got up?
14. After arriving home, I realized / had realised I didn't buy / hadn't bought any milk.
15. It wasn't easy when I lived / had lived on the International Space Station for nearly a year.
VI. Complete the sentences with the past simple, past progressive or past perfect form of the verbs in
brackets.
1.

Matt _______ (live) in Greece for two years before he _______ (move) to Italy.

2.

The patient _______ (die) while the doctors _______ (perform) the operation.

3.

I _______ (be) happy to see Matha because we _______ (not see) each other since last Christmas.

4.

Mary _______ (clean) the windscreen when she _______ (notice) a crack in the glass.

5.

By the time Alex _______ (finish) his studies, he _______ (be) in London for over eight years.

6.

As I _______ (cross) the street, I _______ (catch) sight of an old friend of mine in a restaurant.

7.

The hotel was full, so I _______ (be) glad that we _______ (book) in advance.

8.

As soon as the people _______ (hear) the trumpet blast, they _______ (shout) a loud war cry.

9.

What _______ (you/read) when I _______ (interrupt) you last night?

10. I _______ (want) to help with the washing up, but Sandra _______ (already/ do) it.
11. They _______ (watch) a film in the cinema so they _______ (not realise) it _______ (snow) outside.
12. First I _______ (tidy) the flat, then I _______ (sit) down and _______ (have) a cup of coffee.
13. _______ (you/ ever/ visit) London when you _______ (live) in England?
14. The neighbors _______ (call) the fire department when they _______ (see) the old house go up in
flames.
15. Nobody _______ (come) to the meeting because Angela _______ (forget) to tell them about it.
VII. Fill in the blank with/ without a relative pronoun.
1.

Can you give me back the money _______ I lent you last month?

2.

They complained about the wrong goods _______ were sent to them.

3.

This is Susan _______ husband works in the sales department.

4.

The advice _______ Sam gave me was quite senseless.

5.

Monday is the day _______ bills have to be paid.

6.

The secretary showed me the cabinet _______ important documents are filed.

7.

Enter the address of the person _______ you want to forward the message to.

8.

Elsa seemed like the kind of person to _______ happiness came almost naturally.

9.

What is the name of the woman _______ used to read the news on Channel 9?

10. His refusal to tell her the truth is the reason _______ she is so angry with him.
11. Can you name the artist _______ famous painting is called 'The Girl with the Pearl Earring'?
12. 1969 was also the year in _______ the Venera 5 space probe landed on Venus.
13. Do you know the city _______ President Barack Obama was born?
14. Marie Curie is one of the scientists _______ I admire most.
15. Apollo 11 was the spaceflight _______ landed the first two people on the Moon.

VIII. Combine the two sentences using defining relative clauses.
1.

Can you show me the room? Meetings are held in that room.

→ Can you ______________________________________________________________________
2.

What would you do with the scholarship? You were offered it this month.

→ What_________________________________________________________________________
3.

I don't really like the woman. She is in charge of the Marketing Department.

→ I don't________________________________________________________________________
4.

I have never met the man. He gave me a lift this morning.

→ The man______________________________________________________________________
5.

Scientists are working with stem cells. Stem cells will revolutionize medicine.

→ Scientists______________________________________________________________________
6.

Most of the books are still popular today. I read them as a child.

→ Most of the books_______________________________________________________________
7.

We won't forget the day. We went to Justin Bieber's concert that day.

→ We___________________________________________________________________________
8.

The book is about Gagarin's flight to the space. Mr. Henry gave it to me.

→ The book______________________________________________________________________
9.

I want to introduce you to Mrs. Black. Her husband is a software engineer at Google, Inc.

→ I want________________________________________________________________________
10. The Nation Air and Space Museum has been renovated. We visited it last year.
→ The Nation Air and Space Museum_________________________________________________
IX. Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition.
1.

Virgin Galactic says hundreds of customers have signed _______ for a brief suborbital flight into space.

2.

Most satellites observing the Earth fly _______ an altitude of 600 kilometers to 800 kilometers above
ground.

3.

Astronauts float _______ in space because there is no gravity in space.

4.

Zero Gravity Corp, provides people _______ a once-in-a-lifetime experience of floating in microgravity
_______ parabolic flights.

5.

_______ April 12,1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go _______ space.

6.

Some meteorites are easy to overlook because they look _______ ordinary earth rocks.

7.

A popular pastime while orbiting Earth is simply looking _______ the window.

8.

On 31 May he carried _______ checks on the KiboJEM Robotic Manipulator System.

9.

Nick was crazy _______ the universe after his visit to the Space Museum in Sweden.

10. Most people have wondered if there is life beyond Earth _______ space.
X. Complete the passage with words from the box.
satellites

explore

exploration

orbit

evidence

fly

dreamed

take-off

unmanned

further

Space (1) ________ is sending people or machines into space to visit other planets and objects in space.
Mankind has (2) ________ of visiting the stars for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until 1969 that the first
person walked on the Moon. Since the first person walked on the Moon, hundreds of (3) ________ have
been launched into orbit around the earth, and hundreds of people have been into space on lots of different
types of spacecraft. We have also sent machines to investigate objects that are (4) ________ away in the
Solar System.

Apart from the Moon, the most popular place to send (5) ________ space expeditions is to Mars. Since
the year 2000, there have been 10 unmanned expeditions to Mars, including putting spacecraft into (6)
________ around Mars and landing machines called rovers to (7) ________ the surface. NASA sent the
rover Curiosity to Mars in 2012 to look for (8) ________ of life. They haven't found it yet, but they are
going to keep on looking!
Now private companies are starting to (9) ________ into space too. Virgin Galactic sells tickets for a
short trip into space for £130,000! Passengers won't go high enough to go into orbit, but they will spend
about six minutes in space. The whole trip will take two and a half hours from (10) ________ to landing.
XI. Read the passage carefully, then do the tasks.
In 2006, Anousheh Ansari became the first female space tourist when she made the trip from Russia to
the International Space Station (ISS). Anousheh stayed on the ISS for eight days and kept a blog. Parts of
her blog are shown here.
Anousheh's Space Blog
September 25th
Everyone wants to know: how do you take a shower in space? How do you brush your teeth? Well my
friends, I must admit keeping clean in space is not easy! There is no shower with running water. Water does
not 'flow' here, it 'floats' - which makes it a challenging act to clean yourself There are wet towels, wet
wipes and dry towels that are used. Now brushing your teeth in space is another joy. You cannot rinse your
mouth and spit after brushing, so you end up rinsing and swallowing. Astronauts call it the 'fresh mint
effect'.
September 27th
Being weightless has some wonderful advantages. You can lift a really heavy object with one hand and
move it around with one finger. You can fly and float around instead of walking. You can do somersaults at
any age. Everything is effortless. If you want to move forward, you slightly touch a wall with one finger and
you start moving in the opposite direction. If you have left your book at the other side of the module, no
problem - you ask someone close to it to send it to you. That means they pick it up and very gently push it
towards you, and here it is - your book flying to you all the way from the other side.
A. Decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1.

Anousheh Ansari was the first woman to travel into space.

2.

Anousheh Ansari kept an online diary while she stayed on the ISS.

3.

It is not easy to take a shower in space because water does not “flow” in microgravity.

4.

In space, astronauts swallow their toothpaste instead of spitting.

5.

Weightlessness makes it really hard to lift heavy objects in space.

6.

Anousheh Ansari felt wonderful being able to do somersaults and flying around.

7.

Astronauts have to push against the inside walls of the ISS when they get around.

8.

Anousheh Ansari found weightlessness to be a discomfort when things fly through space.

B. Answer the questions.
1.

When did Anousheh Ansari go into space?
____________________________________________________________________________

2.

Where did she start her trip?
____________________________________________________________________________

3.

Where did she stay in space?
____________________________________________________________________________

4.

How long did she stay in space?
____________________________________________________________________________

5.

Did she enjoy her space trip?
____________________________________________________________________________

C. Write the answers, using information from the text.
1.

Look at Anousheh's blog entry for September 25th. Find and copy groups of words that shows that
Anousheh wrote her blog for others to read.
____________________________________________________________________________

2.

Look at Anousheh's blog entry for September 27th. Find and copy a group of words that shows how
Anousheh felt about being in space.
____________________________________________________________________________

XII. Write sentences, using the clues given.
1.

How/ astronauts/ live/ space/ they/ have to/ float/ move about?
____________________________________________________________________________

2.

Sally Ride/ be/ an astronaut/ become/ the first American woman/ go/ space/ 1983.
____________________________________________________________________________

3.

Sputnik 1/ be/ the first artificial satellite/ launch/ the Soviet Union/1957.
____________________________________________________________________________

4.

In order/ keep/ the body/ work/ the astronauts/ the ISS/ need/ proper amount/ exercise.
____________________________________________________________________________

5.

April 12, 1961/ Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin/ become/ first human/ orbit/ Earth/ Vostok 1.
____________________________________________________________________________

6.

Six Apollo missions/ make/ explore/ moon/ between 1969 / 1972.
____________________________________________________________________________

7.

2025/ the time/ humans/ set foot/ Mars/ the first time?
____________________________________________________________________________

8.

By the time/ the Apollo program /end/ twelve astronauts/ walk/ the moon.
____________________________________________________________________________

9.

Apollo 11/ be/ the spaceflight/ first/ land/ humans/ the Moon.
____________________________________________________________________________

10. If/ you/ can fly/ plane/ Pluto/ the trip/ take/ more than 800 years!
____________________________________________________________________________
XIII. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first.
1.

I had learnt about Pham Tuan before reading articles about him.

→ Before I_______________________________________________________________________
2.

They have sent around 8,378 satellites to space since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957.

→ Around 8,378 satellites___________________________________________________________
3.

Do you know the reason? Many people around the world learn English for this reason.

→ Do you know__________________________________________________________________
4.

“I went to the National Air and Space Museum with my friends yesterday,” Ann said.

→ Ann said______________________________________________________________________
5.

Martin can't apply for NASA astronaut training because he is not a U.S. citizen.

→ If____________________________________________________________________________
6.

It's a long time since men last went to the Moon.

→ Men _________________________________________________________________________
7.

The earthquake has caused the closure of many roads in the area.

→ As a result ____________________________________________________________________

8.

Most parents want their children to study a useful subject leading to a good job.

→ Most parents would rather ________________________________________________________
9.

Don't press that button on the keyboard, or you'll lose what you've written.

→ If____________________________________________________________________________
10. “How long does it take to get to Mars?” Jim asked his father.
→ Jim asked_____________________________________________________________________
TEST FOR UNIT 10
I.

Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.

1.

a. meteorite

b. satellite

c. tiny

d. gravity

2.

a. planet

b. astronaut

c. astronomy

d. satellite

3.

a. landed

b. orbited

c. excited

d. attached

4.

a. missions

b. telescopes

c. rockets

d. baths

5.

a. moon

b. flood

c. shampoo

d. food

II. Choose the word that has the stress different from the rest.
1.

a. astronomy

b. meteorite

c. altitude

d. habitable

2.

a. swallow

b. spacewalk

c. rocket

d. descend

3.

a. microgravity

b. maintenance

c. parabolic

d. atmospheric

4.

a. weightlessness

b. collaborate

c. harmonious

d. adventure

5.

a. cosmonaut

b. satellite

c. engineering

d. universe

III. Choose the best answer a, b, c or d to complete the sentence.
1.

It is predicted that humans will fly to Mars _______ a discovery mission.
a. with

2.

9.

b. habitual

c. habitable

d. habitation

b. who

c. that

d. whom

b. If

c. When

d. Since

b. rockets

c. satellites

d. telescopes

Microgravity is the condition _______ people or objects appear to be weightless.
a. which

8.

d. from

There are now countless ______ orbiting the earth for telecommunications, and other purposes.
a. spacecrafts

7.

c. for

_______ water does not flow in a zero-gravity environment, the astronauts cannot wash their hands
under a faucet.
a. Although

6.

b. in

Edwin Hubble was the astronomer for _______ the Hubble Space Telescope is named,
a. which

5.

d. for

Mars might have been _______ between 3.8 and 3.1 billion years ago.
a. habitat

4.

c. under

There have been no manned missions to the moon's surface _______ 1972.
a. since

3.

b. on

b. where

c. whose

d. in which

I'm very careful about what I eat so it's only _______ I eat fast food.
a. over the moon

b. once in a blue moon

c. out of this world

d. the sky's the limit

The man sitting next to me on the plane _______ very nervous because he _______ before.
a. was - never flew

b. had been - didn't fly

c. had been - hadn't flown

d. was - had never flown

10. “Do you think we will travel to Mars in 15 years?” - “_______ But there's positive signs.”

a. I'm not so sure.

b. Sounds interesting!

c. It's wonderful.

d. Yes, why not?

IV. Write the correct form or tense of the verbs in brackets.
1.

Helen Sharman _______ (send) to the Mir space station in May 1991.

2.

A total of six US missions _______ (land) men on the lunar surface by the end of 1972.

3.

Yuri Gagarin _______ (become) the first person in space when he _______ (orbit) the Earth in a Vostok
spacecraft on April 12, 1961.

4.

Space X _______ (send) three tourists on a 10-day trip to the ISS sometime in late 2021.

5.

While she _______ (work) last week, the astronaut _______ (realize) that she _______ (need) a medium
- size suit for spacewalking.

6.

_______ (you/ ever/ wonder) what it would be like to live on the moon?

7.

In 22 years, Columbia _______ (fly) 27 space flights before disaster _______ (strike) on the 28th
mission.

8.

NASA announced that it _______ (open) the International Space Station to private individuals as soon
as next year.

9.

Apollo 11 was the first manned mission _______ (land) on the Moon.

10. The centripetal force keeps the planets _______ (move) in their orbits.
V. Write the correct form of the words in brackets.
1.

The first _______ to study the surface of Mars was Galileo Galilei. (astronomy)

2.

A Mars _______ is a place that humans can live in on Mars. (habitable)

3.

The space tourists will spend two days traveling to and from the _______ space station. (orbit)

4.

The sensation of _______ , or zero gravity, happens when the effects of gravity are not felt. (weigh)

5.

The astronauts are performing NASA's first routine _______ outside the International Space Station.
(maintain)

6.

On 5 October 1957 the Soviet Union _______ in putting the first man made satellite into orbit around
the Earth. (success)

7.

The astronauts from many nations worked _______ together to accomplish their work. (harmony)

8.

One of the basic _______ to join NASA is American citizenship. (require)

9.

John Young was one of NASA's most _______ astronauts and the first astronaut to fly into space six
times. (experience)

10. The Apollo 11 moon landing was a _______ achievement. (history)
VI. Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate that underlined part that needs correction in each of the
following sentences.
1.

Astronauts flying modern space shuttle missions now eat many of the same food as
A

B

C

they eat on Earth.
D
2.

Some of the methods used in advertising is unethical and unacceptable in today's society.
A

3.

B

C

D

The Sputnik program was the world's first successful one that launch a rocket, a
A

B

living being, and a human into Earth orbit.
C
4.

D

Astronaut candidates whose are in their 30s and 40s can apply to become a NASA astronaut.

A
5.

B

C

D

Sputnik 1, named of the Russian word for “satellite,” was launched by the Soviet
A

B

C

Union on October 4, 1957.
D
6.

While being an astronaut is a prestigious job, candidates often leave flourishing careers
A

B

to do a trip into space.
C
7.

D

NASA has sent many different types of animals in space over their history, including
A

B

C

D

monkeys, dogs, tortoises, mice, and insects.
8.

The Apollo 11 mission remains wide celebrated as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2019.
A

9.

B

C

D

Even though Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it is not actually the hotter.
A

B

C

D

10. Spacesuits allow astronauts work outside a spacecraft in orbit, on the moon or on
A

B

C

another planet.
D
VII. Match a sentence in column A to a response in column B.
A

B

1.

Who was the first person to walk on the moon? a. The sulfur atmosphere and temperature are
unfavorable.

2.
3.

What is the name of the first satellite sent into b. Space tourism is definitely coming and we're
very, very close to it.
space?
c. Yuri Gagarin.
What is another name for Mars?

4.

Why can't astronauts go to Mars yet?

d. Sputnik.

5.

When could humans be leaving their footprints e. 108 minutes.
on Mars?

6.

Who was the first human to orbit the Earth?

f. Neil Armstrong.

7.

How long did Gagarin orbit the Earth on his g. Yes, I bet it would be very funny.
first mission?

8.

What is the farthest distance from Earth a h. The Red Planet.
manned mission has traveled?

9.

Do you want to travel in the outer space?

10. Do you think space is the future of travel?

i. 248,655 miles.
j. Within the next few decades, according to
NASA.

VIII. Complete the conversation with the phrases or sentences from the box.

Alex:

at times

That's great!

be in shape

from now on

not to mention

get along with

When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut.

It's up to you.

Mom:

You can be whatever you want. (1) _______ If you decide to be an astronaut, you'll need a lot of
years of training. Preparing to be an astronaut is a lot of work.

Alex:

Really?

Mom:

Yes. Most astronauts begin their careers as pilots, scientists, or engineers. It takes years to study for
those careers, (2) _______ the years of training to become an astronaut.

Alex:

It looks like a fun job though.

Mom:

I'm sure it is exciting (3) _______ . You also have to (4) _______ other people. Astronauts live and
work in small spaces with other people.

Alex:

That's not a problem.

Mom:

Finally, you have to (5) _______ . You have to exercise and eat healthy so that you'll be physically
fit enough to be an astronaut.

Alex:

I'll eat my broccoli (6) _______ so that I can be healthy.

Mom:

(7) _______

IX. Choose the correct answers to complete the passage.
Space travel for human beings did not develop until several centuries later when, in 1961, Russian Yuri
Gagarin became the first person to (1) _______ the Earth. The next major (2) _______ in space travel came
in 1969 when the three-man Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon - resulting in the first humans (3)
_______ walked on the moon!
Soon (4) _______ the Russians and Americans sent people into space, engineers also started working on
spacecraft that would house astronauts for longer periods (5) _______ they could plan for extended trips and
(6) _______ scientific experiments. These predecessors to the International Space Station include the
Apollo-Soyuz, the first international (7) _______; Skylab, the first American craft for long-term use, and
Mir, the Russian space station that held international scientists during 1986 to 1996.
Unmanned spacecraft are an (8) _______ part of the discovery of our solar system and beyond. Some
satellites observe the Sun, solar system, and the universe (such as the Hubble telescope or Viking, the Mars
probe), and other satellites observe our planet from (9) _______ (for weather forecasting, etc.). Still other
satellites observe and sample specific environments or are used (10) _______ for the purpose of benefiting
humanity (like GPS and communication).
1.

a. rotate

b. surround

c. orbit

d. explore

2.

a. development

b. exploration

c. milestone

d. mission

3.

a. which

b. whose

c. whom

d. who

4.

a. when

b. upon

c. about

d. after

5.

a. provided that

b. so that

c. since

d. when

6.

a. gain

b. take

c. make

d. perform

7.

a. spacecraft

b. spacewalk

c. spaceline

d. space flight

8.

a. interesting

b. active

c. integral

d. effective

9.

a. above

b. abroad

c. outside

d. beyond

b. solely

c. broadly

d. properly

10. a. exactly

X. Read the text and do the tasks.
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest structure humans have ever put into space. This
gigantic satellite is used both as a laboratory for new technologies and an observation platform for
astronomical, environmental and geological research. It is a permanently occupied outpost in outer space
and it is considered to be an important stepping-stone for further space exploration.
The space station flies at an average altitude of 400 kilometers above the Earth and it circles the globe
every 90 minutes at a speed of about 28,000 kilometers per hour, which means that in just one day, the
station travels about the distance it would take from Earth to the moon and back. It also means that
astronauts on board the ISS get to see a sunrise every one and a half hour.

Five different space agencies representing 15 countries built the International Space Station for no less
than 100 billion dollars. The primary partners on the project are NASA, Russia's Roscosmos State
Corporation for Space Activities, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Ag...