ISS age in:
Living Space
Exploring the sights and sounds of the International Space Station's human-habitable modules, where they came from and who lives in them
Sixteen sunrises
The Sun rises on the International Space Station (ISS) every 92 minutes - that's about 16 sunrises a day during which astronauts can view Earth's thin atmosphere in colourful detail.
Functional Cargo Block
Zarya (Russian for "sunrise") was the first space station module to arrive on the ISS, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site in Kazakhstan. It initially provided power, communications and attitude control functions, but is now used mainly for storage and propulsion.
Key stats
Purpose
thrust 
storageDimensions
12.6m 
4.1mWeight
19,323kg or Built by
Space diving
There have been around 188 spacewalks since Unity was connected. Spacewalks are conducted when intricate work and repairs are needed. They can last for around seven hours, and the experience is said to be very similar to scuba diving.
The First Connector: Node 1
Unity transports fluids and gases for the station's Environmental Control and Life Support System. This recycles the crew's urine into clean water and generates some 5kg of oxygen a day. On 7 December 1998 the first spacewalk around the ISS took place, to connect Unity to Zarya.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenanceDimensions
5.5m 4.3mWeight
11,895kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
The Unity crew members got going to Get Ready by The Temptations, their hit song from 1966.
Keep fit class
Crew must exercise for two hours a day, to prevent bone and muscle loss in the microgravity environment.
The Service Module
Zvezda introduced the first living quarters to the space station. It houses a treadmill, exercise bike and freezer and remains the centre of the Russian part of the space station.
Key stats
Purpose
thrust 
power maintenance 
livingDimensions
13.1m 4.1mWeight
19,323kg or Built by
Ticket to ride
Less than six months after the first crew arrived, the space station welcomed its first tourist, US multi-millionaire, Dennis Tito. He's thought to have paid about US$20m (£14m) for his ride.
The US Laboratory Module
Destiny was the first research module to arrive at the space station. It continues to provide the bulk of the space station's research, as well as command and control capabilities.
Key stats
Purpose
researchDimensions
8.5m 4.3mWeight
14,515kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
This crew's musical alarm was Who Let the Dogs Out by the Baha Men, played in honour of Commander Ken Cockrell, who previously flew on a Shuttle mission with astronauts dubbed the "Dog Crew".
Who ordered pizza?
Pizza Hut made a delivery to the space station in 2001. Salami was used as a topping instead of pepperoni (which wouldn't have lasted long enough). Extra salt and spices were also added, as spending a long time in space has the effect of deadening taste buds.
The Joint Airlock
The arrival of the Quest airlock meant that spacewalks from the space station were now possible for both US 'Extravehicular Mobility Unit' spacesuits and Russian 'Orlan' spacesuits. Before, spacewalks were limited to those using Orlan suits or starting from docked Space Shuttles.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenanceDimensions
5.5m 4mWeight
9,923kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Bob Marley's 1975 hit No Woman, No Cry was Mick Gernhart's pick of the pops for the 13-track wake-up call playlist.
Picking up the crumbs
Most food in space is tinned or dehydrated. Astronauts can also eat items like fresh fruit, but other food such as bread is avoided, as errant crumbs can float up their noses and into computers.
The Docking Compartment
Pirs provides a docking port and airlock for Russian spacecraft and spacesuits. It's scheduled to be detached and destroyed during atmospheric re-entry in 2017, to make room for a new Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, Nauka.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenanceDimensions
4.9m 2.6mWeight
3,838kg or Built by
Morning ISSpresso
Whilst Harmony increased working space, the crew were still drinking coffee from plastic bags. This finally changed when a microgravity coffee machine and six zero-G coffee cups were delivered to the space station on 20 April 2015.
Node 2
Harmony increased the living and working space of the ISS by almost 20% (from 420 m3 to 500.2 m3). Its internal connecting port and passageway allowed for the arrival of new research laboratories. It won its name from a competition in 2007, making it the first piece of the ISS to be named by the general public.
Key stats
Purpose
power maintenance livingDimensions
6.7m 4.3mWeight
14,768kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest, from 1973 was on the wake-up playlist for this crew.
Alien ants
The behaviour of eight 100-strong ant colonies were analysed on the space station in 2014. Scientists found that the ants were surprisingly good at adapting to zero gravity and still managed to use teamwork for searching.
The European Research Laboratory
The Columbus lab supports scientific and technological research on the ISS. Experiments have ranged from the science of ageing to finding better ways to manufacture metals. The lab holds 10 "racks" of experiment equipment, each about the size of a phone booth.
Key stats
Purpose
researchDimensions
7.0m 4.6mWeight
10,297kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
The Spamalot version of Always Look on the Bright Side brought this crew to life in the morning.
Keep it clean
There are no showers in space. Instead, astronauts wash daily using damp towels and no-rinse shampoo.
The Experiment Logistics Module
The Kibo logistics module (cargo bay) was the first human-habitable component of the Kibo Laboratory to arrive at the space station. It serves as a storage area for experiments.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenance storageDimensions
3.7m 4.4mWeight
4,200kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Saturday Night by the Bay City Rollers helped the crew rock and roll out of bed.
To the ISS, and beyond!
Space Ranger "Buzz Lightyear" joined this flight as part of a programme run by Nasa, Disney and Pixar to help interest young people in exploration and discovery through a series of themed games. Buzz stayed there for 450 days.
The Japanese Experiment Module
The Kibo pressurised module (a laboratory) serves as a research facility, providing astronauts with an environment in which to conduct microgravity experiments and control the Kibo Robotic Arm.
Key stats
Purpose
research storageDimensions
11.2m 4.4mWeight
15,898kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Baby, Won't You Please Come Home was picked by crew member Garrett Reisman's wife. He dedicated the song to his wife: 'A special good morning to Simone, my favourite Earthling'.
Gardeners' out of this world
Red romaine lettuce leaves were grown by the space station team using a portable greenhouse, which can be moved between modules.
The Mini-Research Module 2
Poisk is almost identical to the Pirs module and provides a docking port and airlock for Russian spacecraft and spacesuits, as well as additional space for science experiments.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenance researchDimensions
4.9m 2.6mWeight
3,795kg or Built by
Chris played guitar
In May 2013, commander Chris Hadfield shot a music video of David Bowie's Space Oddity on board the station. It was the first music video ever to be filmed in space.
The Observational Module
Cupola is a bit like a control cabin on top of a building crane: it's a panoramic control tower used for observing and guiding operations outside the station and helps with the attachment and assembly of various station elements.
Key stats
Purpose
maintenanceDimensions
1.4m 3mWeight
1,876kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Window on the World by Jimmy Buffett was the crew's morning jam. As Endeavour mission specialist Kay Hire put it, "That song is very appropriate today, on a day that we'll be working on opening our new window on the world."
A Potus poser
On 1 August 2015, Scott Kelly was hosting a Q&A session on Twitter when he received a question from a particularly notable space fan asking if he ever "freaked out" when looking out the window of the space station. How did Scott answer?
Node 3
Tranquility provides additional docking ports for vehicles visiting the station along with additional room for crew members, workstations and storage space.
Key stats
Purpose
living research storageDimensions
6.7m 4.3mWeight
17,992kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, AKA the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey roused crew members with its unmistakable opening bars. (You'll know it when you hear it.)
Don't cry for me
In space, tears don't fall. Whilst astronauts' eyes can make tears as on Earth, the tears stick as a kind of liquid ball, and can even sting a bit.
The Mini-Research Module 1
Rassvet is mainly used for cargo storage and as a docking port for visiting spacecraft.
Key stats
Purpose
storageDimensions
6.0m 2.3mWeight
5,075kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Steve Bowen picked the Wallace and Gromit theme tune for this crew's wake-up call playlist. Hopefully he's never tried eating the Moon, like Wallace.
Robonaut arrives
Robonaut, the dexterous space station robot, arrived at the same time as the PMM. Robonaut was initially a torso, but in 2014 received a set of legs that will eventually enable him to conduct a spacewalk.
The Permanent Multipurpose Module
This module began life in 2001 as a logistics carrier, transporting cargo to and from the space station. In 2011 it was converted into a permanent, pressurised component that can hold up to 16 racks of equipment, experiments and supplies.
Key stats
Purpose
research storageDimensions
6.7m 4.3mWeight
9,896kg or Built by
Space jam - crew wake up call
Spaceship Superstar by Prism was one of the wake-up tracks. It was chosen for the crew members by the team of flight controllers.
It's the most expensive thing ever built, as of 2015
International
Space Station
Large Hadron
Collider
The
Shard
It weighs 419,454kg - that's about 227 cars
It's fast. Could go to the Moon and back in about a day
Boeing 747
Speed of sound
International Space Station
Fancy a space trip? Here's the tourist flight price list
| Virgin Galactic | $200,000 |
|---|---|
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| Excalibur Almaz | $100m |