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As of October 2003, there have been 431 people who have flown in space on U.S., Russian, and Chinese space systems.
Thirty two (32) countries have had at least one citizen fly; 391 of them were men, the remaining 40, women. The United States has launched the majority with 271 flown astronauts.
If you launch from the United States, you are an “astronaut”; from Russia, you are a “cosmonaut”, and from China, a “taikonaut”.
With the participation of 16 countries, the International Space Station is the first truly international space project.
The International Space Station has been in orbit for close to 1700 days (as of October 2003). Humans have permanently occupied the station for nearly 1000 of those days.
When the International Space Station is complete, it will have a mass of almost 453.6 metric tons (1 million pounds), be larger than a
The International Space Station is already the third brightest object in the night sky, after the Moon and Venus. It can be seen by 90 percent of Earth’s population during the course of its orbit about the planet.
To finish the space station, hauling the parts and pieces into orbit will require 45 spaceflights on three different types of launch vehicles. This unprecedented, complex orchestration of spaceflights includes the U.S. Space Shuttle, the European Ariane 5 and Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets.
The space station is equipped with water, microwave ovens, and refrigerators, allowing more “normal” types of food, including fruit, vegetables, and ice cream.
Each crewmember has a private room. When they go to sleep, they need to strap into their bed, to avoid floating aimlessly around the station.
