What is Space station: Definition and 115 Discussions

A space station, also known as an orbital station or an orbital space station, is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. Stations must have docking ports to allow other spacecraft to dock to transfer crew and supplies.
The purpose of maintaining an orbital outpost varies depending on the program. Space stations have most often been launched for scientific purposes, but military launches have also occurred. As of 2021, there is one fully operational and permanently inhabited space station in low Earth orbit: the International Space Station (ISS), which is used to study the effects of spaceflight on the human body as well as to provide a location to conduct a greater number and longer length of scientific studies than is possible on other space vehicles. China's Tiangong Space Station is under construction. Both India and Russia have proposed to build stations for the coming decades.

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  1. M

    Final Angular Momentum of a Space Station

    Li = Lrf +Ltf Iωo = Iωf + mvRsinθ I = MR^2 (MR^2)ωo = (MR^2)ωf + mvRsinθ ωf = (MR^2ωo -mvRsinθ)/MR^2 = 3.99
  2. DaveC426913

    B Swimming pool in a rotating space station

    The Exodus thread got me thinking about swimming pools in a rotating space station. Assume two scenarios: two toroidal pools that circumscribe the station, one is continuous and one is divided into segments by barriers. (Sorry, typing on my phone is very arduous for these old thumbs, so I...
  3. A

    I Portable telescopes inside the International space station (ISS)

    I would like to know what will be the visibility from the portable telescope aboard the International Space Station. What could they potentially view, and what are (at least some of) the things they are known to have looked at? Presumably they use it *inside* the ISS and not outside, and are...
  4. A

    Walking around the ring on a spinning space station

    When moving around a circular spinning space station (doughnut shaped) Is there any difference in the direction one goes? Is the energy expenditure the same or different? Would one ever feel like one is climbing? My gut feeling says no, as the person walking has the angular momentum matching...
  5. E

    Here is a 3D model I made of the Mir space station

    This is a 3D model I made of the Mir space station.
  6. BillTre

    The International Space Station as a Human Abode

    The NY Times, on the 20th anniversary (on Halloween) of the ISS being continuously occupies, published an article (with lots of pictures and a really cool time line) showing what the inside of the ISS is like. Duct tape on the ISS (didn't see any WD-40): Galley: Science stuff:
  7. Spinnor

    Rocket Launch as Seen from the Space Station

    Almost looks like an animation but it is from NASA.
  8. P

    Quick Check for Relativity HW, rocket passing by space station

  9. F

    I Running on the Space Station compared with running on Earth

    The ISS includes a very fancy running machine which astronauts use to maintain fitness. Several astronauts have run Marathons at the same time as the earthly race (London, Boston etc) and, while there have been many press reports of these runs, none has given any indication as to how hard it is...
  10. D

    Would an astronaut be able to get back to the space station?

    Would an astronaut really bale able to make it back to the space station by throwing a wrench in the opposite direction if his cable broke and floated away? I heard this question as it relates to Newton's third law. Wouldn't the astronaut need to throw the wrench faster than he is moving before...
  11. SebastianRM

    Problem 9.2 Classical Mechanics: Astronaut in a rotating space station

    Homework Statement Acceleration experienced by an astronaut in a rotating space station. Homework Equations What force would he experience is his own rotating frame of reference. The Attempt at a Solution Newton's second Law for a rotating frame is: mr'' = F net+ Fcor + Fcf Fnet (In the...
  12. substitute materials

    Artificial gravity in a rotating space station

    It is often proposed that gravity could be simulated on a space station by rotating around an axis, such that the astronaut experiences the centripetal force of the space station wall, analogously to gravity. It is usually mentioned that the radius of rotation must be very large to avoid...
  13. A

    Questions: Spherical habitat

    Consider a hollow sphere roughly the size of the moon, spun up to produce 1g of centripetal acceleration along a band at its equator (about 15000 kph) Big stuff, I know. I have a few questions about the implication of such a system, and I hope someone can help me find some answers! - How tall...
  14. T

    Stargazing Space Station Live Video of the Earth

  15. J

    What is the largest possible Rotating wheel space station?

    What is the largest possible Rotating wheel space station possible to be constructed with current materials? and what would be the population it would support. also formulas used for calculation.would be useful. Could constructing cylindrical space elevators support more population,
  16. F

    Calculating the Hill sphere of the International Space Station

    Homework Statement [/B] The International Space Station (ISS) has a mass of 400,000 kg and orbits 408 km above the Earth’s surface. The ISS is 109 m across. Homework Equations : [/B] R=a(semimajoraxis) cubedroot(m2/3M1)The Attempt at a Solution : [/B] ive tried multiple ways with multiple...
  17. R

    I First Chinese space station about to de-orbit soon

    Not much likelyhood of any risk on ground. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/13/tiangong-1-chinese-space-station-will-crash-to-earth-within-months
  18. S

    Planetary motion and a space station

    Homework Statement A space station is in orbit between the Earth and the moon. The force due to gravity on the space station from the moon is the same as the force due to gravity from the Earth. (FGmoon = FGearth). How far away from the Earth is the space station? How far from the moon is the...
  19. Robert House

    Fire suppression in a sealed system

    Here is the scenario. An astronaut is conducting experiments inside of a laboratory module within a space station when all of a sudden, a fire breaks out. The astronaut escapes from the laboratory module he was currently using and then proceeds to seal it off using an airlock. He then...
  20. A

    Space station artificial gravity - how to spin up to speed?

    If a space station has artificial gravity created by spinning, how can it best be spun up to speed? Little attitude rockets could do it, but they would use up fuel, and limit your ability to change the spin rate in future. What if you had an external wheel that you spin up very fast in the...
  21. R

    2 astronauts near a space station (no rotation)

    Homework Statement You have a space station in space far from any planets or stars in form of a hollow cylinder with inner radius R1 outer R2 length L and density Rho. On a symetric axis z are 2 astronauts, 1 at the middle and the second at distance H=2L from the center of the bottom of the...
  22. wolram

    B Chinese not sure where space station will land

    The Chinese are not in control of there space station and do not know where it will land. Chinese officials are no longer in control of the Tiangong-1 space station. Video provided by Newsy They say the rocket motors may not burn up on reentry...
  23. F

    Would space stations of sci-fi fame actually work?

    Would a spinning space station as depicted below that use centrifugal force to create artificial gravity actually work? I'm thinking that it would not, this is because the centrifugal force would not affect an astronaut inside unless he was actually fastened mechanically to the hub. The fact...
  24. F

    Coriolis force in rotating space station

    There is a car driving with speed u opposite the direction of the rotation of the space station. ω=√(g/R) so artificial Earth gravity at R. Resulting tangential speed of station is v=√(gR) and centrifugal force is therefore mg radially out. Coriolis force is 2muxω radially in, magnitude...
  25. W

    Non-Solar Power Station in Space

    I have read about Japan's solar power plant in space. Would it not be easier to build a plant similar to the huge circular spinning space stations you see in movies that create their own gravity/downward force? Once something that large is spinning in space could you not use the motion to...
  26. R

    Space Travel to Mars: Overcoming Atmosphere & Creating a Bus Stop in Space

    So off to Mars we go. But really how are we going to get there? The most expensive part of space travel is overcoming atmosphere. So you could say the biggest obstacle of space travel is Earth travel. It takes virtually no energy to cross space but it takes massive amounts to get into space...
  27. R

    How Can We Make Space Travel Accessible to Everyone?

    RocketShip, yep that's the name I was given ironically enough. I'm not much for math but I love philosophy and critical thinking. I'll come up with ideas you come up with solutions :P my biggest interest at the moment is how to get the masses into space.
  28. ft92

    Space station angular rotation

    Homework Statement A space station of mass 6.0 × 104-kg is to be constructed in the shape of a thin annular cylinder (or ring). The inner radius of the annular cylinder is 100-m, and the outer radius (and location of the floor) is 105-m. Artificial gravity equivalent to free-fall acceleration...
  29. K

    Is a Small Space Hadron Collider More Efficient than a Large One?

    It's to my understanding that the Large Hadron Collider is so 'large' due to the fact E=MC^2 and that when the accelerated particles approach the speed of light their mass increases logarithmic to a near infinite mass, meaning the magnetic force applied to the particle, to stop it from touching...
  30. I

    Speed of International Space Station

    Why ISS need to run on such high speed 7.7km/s ? What will affect if it made to run on very slower speed. thanks
  31. R

    Rotation period of a space station

    Homework Statement To simulate the extreme accelerations during launch, astronauts train in a large centrifuge. If the centrifuge diameter is 13.5m , what should be its rotation period to produce a centripetal acceleration of If the centrifuge diameter is 13.5m , what should be its rotation...
  32. Gary Boothe

    Relativistic Effects On International Space Station (ISS)

    On the ISS, special relativity dictates the station's clocks run slower than clocks on Earth because of the high velocity, but general relativity dictates that the station's clocks run faster than clocks on Earth because of the lesser gravity. Which effect is predominant, and do the station's...
  33. Bendelson

    Von Braun rotating space station

    So I've been thinking about the Von Braun rotating space station model lately and I was curious about a few things. First, if someone dropped a ball in one (the ship is spinning so the centripetal force is equal to the persons weight on Earth so it creates an artificial acceleration of gravity...
  34. C

    Fictional Space Station: Exploring Kalpana One Expansion

    These questions are about a fictional space station in my novel. Just a little background, the station itself is modeled on an expanded version of the “Kalpana One” proposal (pdf here if interested) which was developed by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The Kalpana One...
  35. J

    Fire in Low Gravity: Visualizing a Biodome Blaze

    Hi there, I've seen videos and simulations of fire in zero or microgravity, but I'm trying to get a mental picture of how fire would look / burn in LOW gravity. Say a space station that rotates in order to create a light gravitational hold equivalent to the moon or even Mars...if a fire was...
  36. M

    A spinning space station exhibits a change in moment of inertia.

    Homework Statement A space station shaped like a giant wheel has a radius 95.0 m and a moment of inertia of 5.03✕ 108 kg · m2. A crew of 150 lives on the rim, and the station is rotating so that the crew experiences an apparent acceleration of 1g. When 100 people move to the center of the...
  37. B

    How Does Crew Movement Affect Acceleration on a Space Station?

    Homework Statement A space station shaped like a giant wheel has a radius 95.0 m and a moment of inertia of 5.03✕ 10^8 kg · m2. A crew of 150 lives on the rim, and the station is rotating so that the crew experiences an apparent acceleration of 1g. When 100 people move to the center of the...
  38. P

    Why Do Objects Float in Space Station (SS)?

    I am confused about why astronauts and objects around them float in The Space Station [SS]. In space a long way from massive bodies, objects float. In free fall, objects behave as if in a Gravity free region; they also float. But the SS has 90% of the Gravity that exists on Earth. PLUS...
  39. Greg Bernhardt

    Russia plans to leave International Space Station

    Political chess move or is there some actual danger of it? If they do abandon the station, what then? http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/13/us/russia-international-space-station-plans/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
  40. S

    Rotating Space Station Homework

    Homework Statement Homework Equations a=v2/r f=mv2/r The Attempt at a Solution I have been able to complete this first part of the question by equating 0.7g to v2/r, solving to find v then calculating T by looking at the circumference of the cylinder and using v=d/T. I'm...
  41. P

    Designs for a space station with artificial gravity

    I've been throwing around designs for a space station with artificial gravity for a while now and here is where its at in my head, the drawing is EXTREMELY crude but hopefully someone can understand the idea. the 2d drawing is meant to show a basic side view of it, the blue arrows indicating the...
  42. A

    Speed of a meteor before hitting a space station

    Homework Statement Hello! Suppose a meteor was approaching the Earth along a distance that passes through the Earth's center.I have a space station that moves around the Earth in a circular orbit (radius R)The meteor hit the space station and becomes incorporated.After the impact the space...
  43. K

    Relativity in a Rotating Space Station

    A common solution to the problem of artificial gravity in space is to have the spaceship or station rotate, and the centrifugal force would "pull" objects toward the outside. What I haven't seen considered is that the station would have to have some kind of central motor attached to a central...
  44. S

    Rotational Intertia of a rotating Space Station

    Homework Statement Four rockets attached to a (wheel) space station exert a force of 65.5N to rotate it . The space station's angular velocity is increased at a constant acceleration of 3.63 x 10-3 rads-2. Each rocket is 11.2m away from the centre. Calculate the rotational inertia of the...
  45. J

    Centripetal Acceleration must equal Gravity in a Space Station

    Homework Statement A space station is to provide artificial gravity to support long-term stay of astronauts and cosmonauts. It is designed as a large wheel, with all the compartments in the rim, which is to rotate at a speed that will provide an acceleration similar to that of terrestrial...
  46. C

    Find the acceleration of a space station

    Homework Statement A space station shaped like a giant wheel has a radius 98 m and a moment of inertia of 4.95 108 kg · m2. A crew of 150 lives on the rim, and the station is rotating so that the crew experiences an apparent acceleration of 1g. When 100 people move to the center of the...
  47. D

    Calculating Rotations for a Space Station

    Homework Statement One design for orbiting space stations has a structure that is very much like a large bicycle wheel. The astronauts live on the inside of this wheel where the spinning provides an acceleration similar to Earth's gravity. Suppose the space station has a diameter of 125m ...
  48. 9

    Gravity of a Rotating Cylindrical Space Station: Confirmation Needed

    A cylindrical space station of radius r with thin walls and mass M rotates at angular velocity ω such that the apparent gravity on the inner surface of the cylinder is equal to g. 1) Radial spokes of negligible mass connect the cylinder to the centre of motion. An astronaut of mass m climbs a...
  49. P

    Dropping marble in space station riddle

    You're in a space station. It's shaped like inner tube of a tire. It's rotating, you're standing on the floor inside "inner tube" station. (the floor is the inside part of outer rim of tube) You are holding a marble, you are standing sideways with respect to rotation. (the space station is...
  50. M

    Can Civil Engineering Principles Be Applied to the ISS Structure?

    I am a civil engineering student and I chose to do the ISS for my structural design project. I think I may be in a little over my head because I don't know much about the space station, but I have always been fascinated and I am excited to learn about it! Could anybody point me in the...
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