Will they just keep adding on or do they have master plan to finish it to a certain size? Also how do you keep adding on to something like that which orbits the earth and not have it drift into the atmosphere? Because the more matter they keep adding on the more it will increase Earth's Gravitational pull on it.
2006-12-20 13:37:50 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The increase in gravitational pull is so small as to be a non concern, compared to the forces already acting on it. The bigger worry is drag. Though it is 200 miles up, there is still a tiny amount of air up there, and that casues drag which slows the station and helps bring it down. If there is a lot of solar activity the atmosphere can swell considerably, causing even more air molecules to be that high. That's one of the reasons the station gets boosted from time to time a few miles higher. If you wanna know how big it will get eventually, just go to www.nasa.gov and click on the ISS link.
2006-12-20 13:44:21 · answer #1 · answered by Chance20_m 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The International Space Station has had a definite design from its inception. Bear in mind that it's not just NASA working on it, but also the Russian Federal Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. The Brazilian Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency are also involved in less direct roles. The ISS is in effect a combination of a number of separately planned space stations, including the US's Space Station Freedom and Russia's Mir 2, as well as European and Japanese stations. Construction was originally to be completed by 2005, but this was delayed by the suspension of the Shuttle program after the Columbia disaster. Completion is now expected in 2010.
2006-12-27 07:41:20 · answer #2 · answered by DavidK93 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I think it's done. It's not just NASA anyway; it's part Russia. The mass is sooooo tiny compared to the moon or earth - there will be no gravitational effects. It's mass increasing just makes it a bit harder for them to maintain orbital velocity.
2006-12-20 14:10:46 · answer #3 · answered by eri 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was supposed to be done around now but was delayed by the space shuttle accident. They're about 2/3rds done now. Completion 2010.
2006-12-20 16:09:24 · answer #4 · answered by anonymous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here is a tour of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw5-n5Js6DM
2006-12-20 13:48:14 · answer #5 · answered by Sean 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋