Very few people will ever actually make it to the International Space Station. Not even all of NASA’s astronauts go to the ISS. So the closest you’ll ever get to being there is through videos and photos, or Google Earth’s 360 photos of it.
But photos can make it difficult to tell what you’re looking at or how all of the different parts of the station are connected. Astronaut Jack Fischer recently posted a sped up tour of the station that covers about the same amount of space as a football field, with the internal pressurized space about the same size as a Boeing 747.
He starts in the Japanese segment of the station where experiments go on. Then he swiftly glides into the part of the station that docks the European module called Columbus. Node 2, also known as Harmony, houses the recreational area for the United States astronauts. Fischer says “We watch our movies here and we sleep here” he says pointing to his sleeping pod. In space, astronauts sleep in sleeping bags that are tied to the wall, or floor, or ceiling. Since there’s no gravity they don’t really need pillows or a mattress, instead they just float. This video from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shows the sleep pods in great detail.
Jack Fischer in his sleep pod on the ISS. Photo: NASA
Fischer then moves into the U.S. lab called Destiny that is full of equipment for experiments. Through Destiny is Node 1 where more space vehicles can dock to the station and where the air lock with the space suits for spacewalks are kept. The station treadmill and the toilet are also in the Tranquility part of the station.
Astronaut Reid Wiseman using the treadmill on the ISS. Photo: NASA
After showing these rooms Fischer shows the camera the Cupola that offers the incredible views of Earth that you’ve probably seen before. The room is mostly windows and faces Earth. After that he heads into the Russian segment of the ISS through a small hatch and the first stop is the Rassvet where space vehicles dock, including the one that brought Astronaut Peggy Whitson to the station.
Through the Zarya segment into the Poisk Fischer shows the storage on the ship and goes into the Soyuz ship that is attached and contains spacesuits and the capsule that the astronauts ride down to Earth when they complete their Expeditions.
Then he travels up into the Service module where the systems for the station like its engines are kept. There are also windows in this part of the station for taking photos and another cargo vehicle.
He wraps up the video emphasizing that the space station is an international place where people from all different countries work together. His colleague a Russian Cosmonaut gives him a high five before the video ends.
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