Space tourism: 25 years already aboard the ISS

It was in November 2000 that the first astronauts joined the ISS. Since then, more than 290 people from 26 different countries have visited the station, demonstrating the development of the space sector, particularly in the United States. Next objective: returning to the Moon.

A few reminders about the International Space Station (ISS)

After numerous studies conducted by NASA in the 1960s and 1970s, the International Space Station project was launched in 1984 by the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

In 1993, Russia, already having experience with the Mir space station, was invited to become a major player in the program, notably with the Soyuz spacecraft and the Progress resupply spacecraft.

In 1998, the construction of the station was decided upon during a meeting held in Washington.

Sixteen nations now participate: the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia, and eleven European states under the auspices of the European Space Agency (ESA).

The construction of the International Space Station was completed in 2011.

Today, the ISS remains the largest artificial object in Earth orbit.

It measures 109 m in length, 74 m in width, and 30 m in height, and has a mass of approximately 420 tons.

Astronauts and the ISS

On October 31, 2000, three astronauts from the United States and Russia launched from Kazakhstan for a two-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Expedition 1 crew members, from left to right: Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko, NASA astronaut William Shepherd, and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev.

The crew’s mission was to bring the new International Space Station to life, notably by spending 183 days, approximately six months, on the station to assemble the life support and communication systems necessary for a long-duration stay in space.

Note that while the astronauts arrived at the station on their Soyuz spacecraft, they departed on the Space Shuttle Discovery.

The members of this first crew consisted of Bill Shepherd of NASA and the Russians Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko.

It’s worth noting that Shepherd, retired since 2002, now sits on an advisory committee for the space station, and that Sergei Krikalev is currently a senior official in the Russian space program.

Since that first flight, more than 290 people from 26 countries have visited the station.

Most were professional astronauts, but some were space tourists, and others were filmmakers.

Currently aboard the ISS are the following astronauts: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos), Alexey Zubritsky (Roscosmos), Jonny Kim (NASA), Anne McClain (NASA), Nichole Ayers (NASA), Takuya Onishi (JAXA), and Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos).

Highlights and special moments of the astronauts on the ISS.

– Peggy Whitson (born February 9, 1960, in Mount Ayr, Iowa, USA) was the first woman commander of the International Space Station (ISS).

She also holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with nearly 666 days.

– In 2003, Russian astronaut Yuri Malenchenko married his wife Ekaterina Dmitriev 380 kilometers above Earth.

– In 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, a talented guitarist, performed David Bowie’s famous song « Space Oddity » from his perch.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo&t=59s

– American astronaut Frank Rubio spent 371 days on the ISS due to a problem with his spacecraft.

– The record for the longest continuous flight aboard the ISS belongs to American Christina Koch with 328 days in 2019-2020.

– In 2019, astronaut Anne McClain was accused of identity theft and unauthorized access