ISS at 20 Years

  First inhabited by US astronaut Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko on 2 November 2000, the ISS has since provided shelter for a steady rotation of crews that has ensured the station has never been left unoccupied.

A total of 240 men and women have set up camp on the 420-tonne station as it has swept over Earth at 17,000 mph, making 16 orbits of our world every day. Accommodation on the 109-metre-long station includes six sleeping quarters, two toilets, a gym – and, most popular of all, a European-built set of bay windows, called the Cupola, which provides 360-degree views and allows astronauts to gaze as storms have gathered, and the Sun has risen, over Earth.