NASA to drop entire International Space Station in Pacific Ocean after 33 years of service due to..., reason will leave you in shock
International Space Station update: Since its launch in 1998, the International Space Station (ISS) has served as a space laboratory for over 27 years. Helping over 280 astronauts from 26 countries, the space station has been orbiting 400 km above Earth at a massive speed of 28,000 km/hr. Representing one of the most ambitious global collaborations in space, the ISS has served the mankind for decades. Here are all the details you need to know about why International Space Station is being dropped into the Pacific ocean. Why NASA is dropping International Space Station in ocean?
However, on a shocking turn of events, NASA and its partners have now decided to deorbit the ISS by 2030. The reason behind the move as reported by media reports is the fact that key structures like modules and radiators are deteriorating, making operations risky and expensive. As a part of the deorbiting move, Elon Musk's SpaceX will develop a special deorbit vehicle to guide the $150 billion station to Point Nemo, the most remote place on Earth located in Pacific Ocean, where it will burn up and fall into the ocean.
Notably, India has also set a target of building its own space station by 2035. What's the update on Shubhanshu Shukla's studies on International space station?
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla conducted experiments on three indigenous microalgal species and two cyanobacteria strains on the International Space Station to study the sustainability of human life in space, the Union government informed the Parliament as reported by IANS.
Notably, Shukla became the first Indian to reach the ISS. Returning on July 15, after an 18-day mission, Shukla came packed with several experiments, led by ISRO.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, shared the details of the experiments conducted onboard the ISS to boost biological life support systems for futuristic space missions.
(With inputs from agencies)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Groom in space, bride in Texas: The love story that became the first ISS wedding in history
Source: Russia Beyond On August 10, 2003, the International Space Station became the setting for one of the most extraordinary weddings ever recorded. Orbiting Earth at 28,000 km/h, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko said 'I do' to his American fiancée Ekaterina Dmitriev, who stood waiting 400 km below at NASA 's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This was no publicity stunt—it was a daring blend of love and spaceflight, navigating complex legal, technical, and cultural hurdles. In a moment that bridged two worlds—the boundless expanse of space and the intimacy of human connection—it proved that even in the most advanced realms of exploration, the heart still finds its own orbit. International Space Station becomes the world's most unusual wedding venue The ISS is a multi-national laboratory in low Earth orbit, a place where every minute is carefully scheduled for experiments, maintenance, and communications. Weddings were not part of its official mission objectives. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mr. Bala's Powerful Intraday Strategy Revealed – No More Guesswork TradeWise Learn More Undo Yet, on that August day, the station's communication systems—designed for critical mission updates, data transfer, and crew coordination—were temporarily adapted to facilitate a marriage ceremony. At the time, the ISS was orbiting roughly 400 km above Earth, completing one orbit every 90 minutes. That meant that during the wedding, the station likely passed over multiple continents, giving 'worldwide coverage' a very literal meaning. How Russian cosmonaut long-distance romance led to the first wedding in space Yuri Malenchenko, already a veteran of multiple spaceflights, had spent much of his professional life training and working away from home. Ekaterina Dmitriev, a US-based space enthusiast of Russian descent, had met him years earlier through mutual acquaintances in the aerospace field. Their relationship was a lesson in long-distance endurance. Malenchenko often trained in Star City, Russia, while Dmitriev lived in the United States. They sustained their romance through phone calls, occasional visits, and a shared passion for space exploration. The couple initially planned a traditional wedding with 200 guests in attendance. But when Malenchenko's mission aboard the ISS was unexpectedly extended, postponing the wedding by months or even years, they faced a choice—delay the marriage or find a way to bridge the gap. They chose the latter. After securing approval from Russian space authorities, they planned what became the first and only marriage ceremony conducted from space. Inside the International Space Station's first-ever wedding ceremony Conducting a wedding between space and Earth involved complex coordination between Roscosmos (Russian space agency) and NASA. The ISS's Ku-band communication system was used to transmit live video and audio between the spacecraft and mission control. Key elements of the ceremony: Visual connection: Dmitriev stood in a decorated room at NASA's Houston facility, while Malenchenko appeared live on a monitor from the ISS. Dress code: Malenchenko wore his formal Russian space suit with a bow tie as a symbolic gesture. Dmitriev wore a traditional ivory wedding gown. Music in orbit: Astronaut Ed Lu, serving as Malenchenko's best man, played the wedding march on a small keyboard aboard the ISS. Cultural touches: Dmitriev walked down the aisle to David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', linking the ceremony to space pop culture. Symbolic gestures: The bride blew a kiss toward the camera, and the groom reciprocated from orbit. From orbit to Earth: The reunion after the first wedding in space Ekaterina Dmitriev later told the New York Times that, 'As Yuri was further away, he was closer to me because of the communication we have.' She called the orbital wedding a reflection of 'mankind's desire and need to go one step further.' Marriage became a symbol of human adaptability—proving that even in the most extreme environments, people find ways to preserve traditions and emotional bonds. It also captured the imagination of the public, blending romance, technology, and exploration in a single event. Following the ceremony, Malenchenko continued his ISS duties for several months. In October 2003, he returned to Earth, finally meeting his wife in person as her husband. Photographs of their reunion marked the end of one of the most remarkable long-distance weddings in history. Also Read | 4.56-billion-year-old McDonough meteorite older than Earth crashes into Georgia home; stuns scientists
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
NASA's Curiosity rover spots coral-like rock on Mars — here's what it really means
In a new image sent from Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has captured something that immediately caught scientists' attention– a small, oddly shaped rock that closely resembles coral. According to a report by NASA, the image was taken on July 24, 2025, during the rover's 4,609th day on the Martian surface. At first glance, it may seem like a curious shape. But behind this formation lies a much older and more detailed story– one that stretches back billions of years to a time when Mars was a very different place. Ancient water and wind: The forces that shaped it According to the NASA report, this type of structure is the result of a common geological process. In the distant past, when liquid water still existed on Mars, it seeped into cracks in rocks. That water carried dissolved minerals, which settled into the cracks and stayed behind once the water dried up. — astrobiobuzz (@astrobiobuzz) Over time, the surrounding rock, which was less resistant, was worn away by continuous wind erosion– leaving the mineral deposits exposed in unusual shapes. These formations, while shaped by natural forces, are often visually complex and have been compared to floral or marine structures found on Earth, as per the NASA report. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Close-up Captured by ChemCam According to the report, the image of the coral-like rock was taken using the Remote Micro Imager (RMI), a component of the ChemCam instrument aboard Curiosity. ChemCam plays a key role in helping scientists study the composition and texture of rocks from a distance. Around the same period, another rock with a similar form was observed using Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager, adding more detail to this ongoing study of Martian geology. According to the NASA report, the ChemCam itself is the result of an international partnership– developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory, in collaboration with the French space agency CNES, the University of Toulouse, and CNRS. A mission that keeps delivering Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, continues to operate from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The rover is part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project and operates under the broader Mars Exploration Program, led by the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Not just an odd shape While the rock's shape has drawn interest due to its resemblance to coral, the real significance lies in what it tells us about Mars. Formations like these offer evidence that water once played an active role in shaping the Martian surface. Wind, minerals, and erosion have combined over billions of years to create the landscapes that Curiosity continues to explore today. This latest find is another reminder of how much Mars has changed– and how much there is still to understand. Thumb image: X/@astrobiobuzz
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Astronauts return to Earth with SpaceX after 5 months at the International Space Station
Four astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after hustling to the International Space Station five months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing's Starliner. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Pacific off the Southern California coast a day after departing the orbiting lab. 'Welcome home,' SpaceX Mission Control radioed. Splashing down were NASA's Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russia's Kirill Peskov. They launched in March as replacements for the two NASA astronauts assigned to Starliner's botched demo. Starliner malfunctions kept Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams at the space station for more than nine months instead of a week. NASA ordered Boeing's new crew capsule to return empty and switched the pair to SpaceX. They left soon after McClain and her crew arrived to take their places. Wilmore has since retired from NASA.
