Follow Along with Astronauts on the ISS

Last week, three more astronauts joined the crew on the International Space Station. Out of the seven billion humans living on Earth, there are only 6 not on the planet - they are living in space! 

The International Space Station with Shuttle Endeavor docked in 2005. Image Source

Astronauts have been living on the International Space Station (ISS) continuously since November 2, 2000 - almost 16 years now! While on the space station, astronauts perform experiments, observe the Earth, and help NASA study the effects of long term space flight on the human body. If we want to take the years-long trip to Mars or beyond someday, we need to know how to keep astronauts healthy in microgravity for extended periods of time. 

Expedition 48-49 crewmembers Kate Rubins of NASA (left), Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos (center) and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (right) launched to the ISS on July 6. Image Source

Kate, Anatoly, and Takuya joined Jeff Williams of NASA, and Aleksey Ovchinin and Oleg Skriphchka of Roscosmos, who transferred from Expedition 47.

There are usually six astronauts on the ISS. When it is time to switch crews, three astronauts return to Earth on the Soyuz, and three new astronauts come up. Three astronauts of the previous mission transfer to the new expedition. This allows experienced crew members to help out the new astronauts, and is a practical necessity. Only three astronauts can fit in the Soyuz vehicle at a time - the only way astronauts get to the ISS these days. 

The crew of Expedition 25 packed all cozy in the Soyuz. Image Source

Part of the mission of the astronauts on the ISS is outreach. You can follow along with what they are doing through many social media outlets. NASA maintains a blog all about what is happening on the ISS. On Facebook, you can follow the International Space Station and many individual astronauts, including Jeff Williams of this mission. Similarly, on Twitter you can follow @NASA_Astronauts, @Astro_Jeff, and many other astronauts. Many astronauts are on Instagram and Snapchat too! Following science topics on social media is a great way to get a daily dose of inspiration and little bits of education. Plus, it is just lovely to see pictures of the Earth from the ISS. 

Since the ISS orbits Earth 16 times every day, you can often see it pass overhead! It will look like a very bright, quickly moving object, and will disappear from view after a few minutes. It appears brighter than any star in the night sky. Check out NASA's website Spot the Station to learn when it will pass overhead, or heavens-above.com for information on how to see many other satellites as well. Put in your observing location and click on the satellite that you would like to see. You can also get apps on your smart phone that will alert you when it is passing by your location. 

Check out this video for an excellent tour of the ISS by Astronaut Suni Williams. 

If you would like to pretend to be an astronaut, there is no better time to visit the Peoria Riverfront Museum! Our main exhibition this summer is Be the Astronaut! The exhibit teaches visitors about the concepts, challenges, and excitement of spaceflight, through the use of touch-screen stations, artifacts, and interactive simulator pods built to look like space capsules. You can find out more here. We will be calling the astronauts on the ISS in the last week of July via HAM radio, with the help of our friends from the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club. This live conversation will be free and open to the public. We don't know the exact time and date yet, but will be sure to share the information as soon as the astronauts schedule is worked out. Finally, Astronaut Scott Altman, who grew up in Pekin, will visit Peoria on September 9 and 10. We will have events for adults and kids alike! 

You can learn more about what's on the ISS by visiting the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. We made a show to go along with Be the Astronaut called Uniview: Living in Space, playing daily at 3:30 pm. We fly to the ISS, show past human space exploration, and visit the possible future! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily space updates.