The Week India – July 21, 2019

A HOUSE IN SPACE

On June 13, ISRO chairman K. Sivan

announced India's plan to set up a

space station—“a small module, with

a mass of around 20 tonnes”

Life inside the ISS

Habitation

Environmental control

A series of cylindrical modules; includes
accommodations and toilet, the galley and
waste management compartment, and
exercise facilities

Multipurpose module for cargo
(capacity: 9,000kg)

ECLSS (environmental control and life
support system) recycles waste water
and urine to produce water, maintains
cabin pressure, temperature and humidity,
and detects and suppresses fire

Health care Communications

Medical and environmental monitoring,

including protocols for daily exercise,

and in-flight life support, and monitoring

exposure to radiation

Smoke detector Airflow vent

Docking port

Galley table

Docking

port

Waste

Management

Compartment

Tread mill

Sleep

compartment

Warning panel and monitorsWindows

GRAPHICS SREEMANIKANDAN S., SYAM KRISHNAN/RESEARCH KARTHIK RAVINDRANATH

Cost: Not yet worked out. Plan to be

submitted after the first phase of

Gaganyaan

There have been 11 space stations since
the 1970s, mostly launched for scientific
purposes (microgravity provides a unique
research environment)

At present, two are functional—the

International Space Station (ISS) and

Tiangong 2

Research areas: Earth and space science,

biology, human physiology, physical

sciences and technology demonstration

Orbit history

ISS

Launched in 1998; joint project of five

space agencies—NASA, Roscosmos

(Russia), JAXA (Japan), CSA (Canada)

and the European Space Agency

Permanently occupied since

November 2000. Over 1,700 experiments

by 83 countries conducted (as of Sept 2015).

Expected to be operational till 2030

Tiangong 2

Tiangong translates to 'heavenly palace'.

Chinese space laboratory and part of

China's space station programme.

Launched in 201 6

Not a permanent station; lab to test

technology that will be used in China’s

permanent manned space station,

planned to be completed by 2022

Real-time exchange of audio, video and

data. Email, family and medical

teleconferencing, IP phone and public

affairs broadcasts

MODULE

MODULE

JULY 21, 2019 • THE WEEK 33