Sunday, September 7th, 2008

SPACE

Cooperation in Space

Cooperation in Space

When people first started going into space, it was a competition.

The United States and Russia were in the middle of the Cold War with each other so both sides were very secretive about their space programs.

There was no cooperation.

Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, things have changed.

Russia and the United States now work together and many other countries around the world participate in a cooperative space program.

Animation

The biggest example of this new found cooperation between countries is the ISS, the International Space Station.

Many countries have been involved with building the ISS and many more have been involved with running missions onboard the ISS.

Here are the countries involved:

As you take a look at the countries involved and their contributions to the ISS, locate the countries on your world map and then COLOUR and LABEL them.

The United States – NASA National Aeronautics

and Space Administration

Strength: 40 years of putting humans into space; deep funding pockets. Gives: $24.7 billion for Unity connector node, Spacehab cargo module, 300-foot truss (ISS backbone), lab module, joint airlock, propulsion module, cupola, solar arrays, X-38 crew return vehicle, habitation module, launches, astronauts.

Russia – RKA Roskosmos

Strength: 40 years of putting humans into space, master of space stations. Gives: Difficult to put a price tag on it, partly because much is U.S. funded, partly because of tough economic times in the country; Zarya control module; Zvezda service module (first living quarters); Soyuz return capsule; two docking compartments for Soyuz; universal docking module that includes living quarters, docking and stowage module; two research modules with solar arrays; launches and cosmonauts.

Canada – CSA Canadian Space Agency Strength: Space

robotics. Gives: $1.2 billion for 55-foot-long mobile robot Canadarm and smaller Canada Hand, mobile cart that moves along tracks on ISS backbone, astronauts.

Japan – NASDA National Space Development Agency of Japan

Strength: Potential for making ISS cheaper, better, faster. Gives: $3.1 billion for Kibo experiment cargo module, experiment racks, 32.5-foot robotic arm, external platform.

Brazil – INPE Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais

Strength: Nascent enthusiasm. Gives: $200 million for an outside moveable experiment pallet that's part of the program to EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS).

Europe Strength: In numbers.

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Gives: $3.83 billion for Columbus laboratory module, an automated transfer vehicle, two connector nodes, the electronic "brain" for Russia’s Zvezda module, European robotic arm, launches, astronauts. In addition, ESA is selling 30 percent of lab space to business.

European Space Agency - ESA Belgium Denmark France Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom

Belgium

Denmark

France

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

There is also the

International Space

Agency, of which

Canada is a member

along with 36 other

Countries.

http://www.pbs.org/spacestation/station/partners.htm

http://www.discovery.com/stories/science/iss/i_whodoeswhat.html