How Long Does It Take To Get To The Space Station (And Why)?

How Long Does It Take To Get To The Space Station (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 24 hours

The world is developing with great innovations, new inventions, and discoveries. Humans have gone far and beyond to make the lives of the people living on the earth easier. People are researching and working every day with new automation and literature to make the impossible happen. One of the greatest career options and developing fields is astronomy and space science. There are many universities and colleges in the world that are pursuing the field of astronomy and space.

Outer space is huge and some things separate the earth from the other planets. There are planets, the moon, and the sun surrounding the earth and there are many ways to reach the planets. One of mankind’s greatest innovations and creations is the International Space Station and it flies around in outer space.

According to scientists, the starting point of outer space is about 100 km above sea level. It takes about 3 hours to a day to reach the International Space Station in outer space.

How Long Does It Take To Get To The Space Station

How Long Does It Take To Get To The Space Station?

LocationTime
International Space Station1 day
Earth’s Moon3 days
Venus3 months
\

The start of the save is about a hundred meters above sea level and it is called the Karman line. About 90% of the rockets reach this point in just about a few seconds, yet it takes a long while to reach the actual destination, which is the final orbit. Different factors decide when a rocket reaches its destination. For example, the Space Shuttle reached the Karman line in two and a half minutes and the orbit in eight and a half minutes. On the other hand, SpaceX Falcon Heavy reached the Karman line in three and a half minutes.

According to research, it took Apollo astronauts about three days to reach the moon, and the moon is very much further away from the International Space Station. Though the moon is further away than the ISS, the spacecraft reached it faster because the path it traveled was directed exactly at the moon. Hence it can take about six hours to even three days to reach the ISS. The Karman line is about sixty-two miles above the Earth and the objects that are thrown to a distance that is below the line come back to the Earth.

When the objects go above the Karman line, they start floating in space. Objects and rockets never travel in a straight line in space, and that means rockets and space ships never take a straight path, and if they are directed in a straight path, collisions might occur.

Why Does It Take That Long To Get To The Space Station?

Planets are surrounding the earth, and when the space ships travel in a straight path, they might collide with other planets, which can lead to explosions. Normally, to reach the International Space Station, astronauts and scientists use rockets and space ships. The International Space Station is located 248 miles away from the Earth and this journey normally takes about a day or two. The first man-made spacecraft that reached outer space beyond the boundaries is The Voyager 1 and it took about 36 years to make the spacecraft.

There are many planets and outer bodies in the way. The Earth’s moon is 238,900 miles away from the earth and the Venus, which is the closest planet to the Earth, is 27,900,000 miles away from the Earth. Mars is 46,500,000 miles away and the Neptune, which is the final planet, is 2,697,000,000 miles away.

Conclusion

It has been 20 years since the International Space Station was found and humans are living and working there ever since without any sort of complications. Another fact about the ISS is it is the only microgravity laboratory, which allows more than 3,600 researchers to conduct more than 2,500 experiments, from about 106 countries across the world. It is the greatest symbol of development in the field of space science and the relations between international countries.

The ISS is benefiting the Earth scientifically, educationally, economically, and technologically. The ISS can be tracked using NASA’s Spot the Station tool and the space station can be seen at dusk and dawn, with bare eyes. It is their brightest object that can be seen from the Earth and it moves across the sky.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0923250805002627
  2. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/180/12/1216.short
dot 1
One request?

I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️

Avatar of Nidhi

AboutNidhi

Hi! I'm Nidhi.

Here at the EHL, it's all about delicious, easy recipes for casual entertaining. So come and join me at the beach, relax and enjoy the food.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *