5 facts about the International Space Station you probably didn't know

The International Space Station (ISS) moves incredibly fast, travelling at a mind-boggling speed of roughly 28,000 km/h. This is about 10 times faster than a speeding bullet. At such an extraordinary pace, the ISS completes 16 orbits around Earth every day. This means that the astronauts on board the space station witness 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every 24 hours.

The International Space Station (ISS) has had a continuous human presence for more than a quarter of a century. Ever since November 2000, the ISS has remained occupied by a rotating crew of international spacefarers. Usually, the station has a working crew of seven astronauts living and meticulously executing their day-to-day designated tasks. However, during a crew rotation, the number of people on the ISS can temporarily increase.

The International Space Station (ISS) has more room than most people might imagine. It stretches 356 feet (109 meters) from end to end, just over a yard shorter than the length of an American football field, including its end zones.

For the astronauts living inside, this is a boon: they have access to more living and working space than a six-bedroom house offers. The setup also comes with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, and a gym. They also have an added bonus in the form of a spectacular 360-degree bay window overlooking the Earth.

To address the water needs of the crew in orbit without requiring frequent resupplies, the International Space Station's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) includes a Water Recovery System.

This system collects wastewater, moisture from astronauts' breath and sweat, and water recovered from urine before processing it into drinking water. Wastewater is purified by the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), while the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) uses vacuum distillation to recover water from urine. Because the ISS relies on this Water Recovery System, the amount of fresh water that must be launched into orbit has been reduced by 65%, as per NASA.

Alongside this purification system, a Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) is used to extract even more reclaimable water. The BPA extracts additional water from the urine brine left behind after vacuum distillation. It then uses membrane technology and warm, dry air to recover the remaining water, helping the ISS achieve a staggering 98% water recovery rate.

In this image, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron can be seen replacing a filter in the space station’s Brine Processor Assembly.

The construction of the ISS began in late 1998. Since then, astronauts and cosmonauts have completed 280 spacewalks to keep the space station operational for more than two decades. These spacewalks are among the most challenging and essential tasks astronauts perform aboard the ISS.

Extravehicular activities (EVAs), as spacewalks are formally known, are conducted whenever equipment needs to be repaired, new technology has to be installed, or parts of the orbiting laboratory require upgrades. To accomplish these tasks, astronauts leave the safety of the station and step into the vacuum of space. While executing these extravehicular activities, astronauts wear NASA's specially designed spacesuits—known as Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs).

In this image, NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Woody Hoburg can be spotted riding the Canadarm2 robotic arm while maneuvering a roll-out solar array toward the ISS’ truss structure 257 miles above the Pacific Ocean.