International Space Station: Off the Earth laboratory, for the Earth.

International Space Station: Off the Earth laboratory, for the Earth.

The International Space Station, or ISS, is one of the biggest space projects ever constructed, with the same magnitude of its significance as the Moon landing, or sending space probes towards the edge of the Solar System.

   Because the ISS is the largest human-made structure ever being assembled in space, Zarya, its very first module, was launched in 1998, followed by multiple assembly missions until 2021. The space station is being continuously maintained and upgraded under the collaboration between NASA (US), ROSCOSMOS (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and Canada (CSA).

   With an overall structure length of 109 m, and orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers, the International Space Station can be spotted with the naked eye during sunrise and sunset. NASA stated that during the optimal time, the ISS is the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and the Moon.

   Humanity has dreamed of living in space since our early days, and crewed spaceflight made the dream possible during the past few decades. However, the mission length was limited by the size and supply availability of the spacecraft, which lasted only a few weeks maximum.

   This led to the development of a space station, like the Soviet Union’s Salyut and Mir, along with NASA’s Skylab station. It was the foundation of humanity's long-term presence in space before both nations agreed to collaborate in the International Space Station, along with Japan, Canada, and the European countries.

   The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000. With an Expedition crew rotation from Expedition 1 until the current Expedition 71 on board the station. Astronauts usually stayed 6-12 months on the International Space Station, they were responsible for conducting microgravity research, along with studying the possibility of long-term crewed missions to deep space, such as Mars and beyond.

   Apart from the long-term crew on the station, spaceflight participants had visited the International Space Station, from a spacecraft test flight, space tourism, and even filming in space. With a total of more than 280 visitors from 23 countries ever visited the ISS, including astronauts from Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates.

   Currently, multiple types of research are being conducted by the astronauts aboard on the space station, including the fields of biology, fluid physics, engineering, radiation, and human psychology. This will improve scientists' understanding of the effect of microgravity and space exploration in their respective field, along with greatly contributing to the greater good of everyone on the planet, with products like LASIK and memory foam being a spinoff from space technology and innovation.

   While no Thai astronauts had visited the space station yet, there was Thai research being conducted abroad at the International Space Station. One of which is BIOTEC-NSTDA’s Crystallization of target protein for Anti-Malarial drugs aboard the Japanese’s Kibo module, which is supported by the National Space Exploration program by GISTDA.

   In 2025, the Liquid Crystal Experiment in Space, under the collaboration between Kasetsart University, NASA, the PMU-B, and GISTDA will be flown to the International Space Station. The payload was tested at the National Assembly Integration and Testing Center, and GISTDA also supported the training and equipment necessary for the experiment.

   In conclusion, the International Space Station reflected what is the best that humanity can achieve, constructing a 100-meter-long structure in orbit around our planet. The ISS is also an inspiration for the next generation, from space live streaming, live Q&A with astronauts, and other outreach projects abroad; the space station truly serves the purposes of being off the Earth, for the Earth.