NASA decided to choose Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help bring down the International Space Station (ISS) it’s time for the big old floating lab to retire. Can you believe that? Yep, it’s true! The same SpaceX known for sending rockets into space now has the cool job of bidding farewell to the ISS in a grand way.
The Gigantic Mission
SpaceX got assigned the task of making a special vehicle to gently push the ISS into the Pacific Ocean in the early 2020s. Imagine, that space station weighs about 430 tonnes! That’s like shifting a herd of elephants—giant, metal, space elephants, if you will. NASA shared this thrilling news of landing an $843 million contract on a Wednesday and made it possibly the most exciting hump day ever.
Details About the ISS
Since 1998, the ISS has been up there circling Earth. Picture a massive flying lab where astronauts from all around hang out and carry out science experiments. They’ve been working without stopping since 2000, studying everything from how humans age in space to creating new substances. It zooms past Earth every 90 minutes, like taking a super quick trip around the world time and time again.
Why Say Goodbye in Style
Although the ISS is still looking good, scientists know it can’t stick around forever. Left alone, it would eventually fall back to Earth by itself, which could be pretty risky. Nobody wants pieces of a space station crashing down on our heads, right?
The Game Plan
NASA and its partners have been chatting about retiring the ISS for some time now. The US and its pals are supporting the ISS until 2030, while Russia plans to stick around at least till 2028. They’ve explored options on how best to retire the mission of the ISS: dismantle it for parts or leave it for a company to handle. Those choices are quite tricky and pricy.
And You Know Who Saves The Day?
Entry of SpaceX! They’re all set to put together a special “tugboat” to steer the ISS into a safe spot in the ocean. This tugboat will need plenty of power to get things done right—a real powerhouse like a super strong tow truck but for outer space!
The Final Farewell
The controllers will gradually let gravity drag down the orbit of the ISS closer towards Earth over time. Once all astronauts are safely back on Earth’s ground, they’ll send signals for the tugboat to guide the ISS right into its last stop—the chosen spot is Point Nemo, an extremely isolated part of Pacific Ocean named after Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s book “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.” That place is so far from land at least 2,500 kilometers!
Looking Ahead
When it’s finally time for the ISS’s last dip into waters, NASA wishes private companies will have their own stations up and running high up in space. Their eyes are set on a new project called Gateway—an orbiting platform near our Moon. So while we might be waving goodbye to one fabulous space home, we’re prepping up for constructing another even more fantastic one.
In A Nutshell
So there you have it! Elon Musk’s SpaceX is revving up for this huge task in space history—navigating down with care as they bid adieu to ISS safely. It’s hard watching such an iconic place go but just remember this—the future holds amazing new stations and lunar adventures waiting ahead. Until then let’s keep glued to those stars above us dreaming big dreams!
