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2000 vs Now: 15 Years of Humans on Space Station
Humans have been living in space aboard the International Space Station 24-7-365 since Nov. 2, 2000. That’s 15 Thanksgivings, New Years, and holiday seasons astronauts have spent away from their families. 15 years of constant support from Mission Control Houston. And 15 years of peaceful international living in space.
In November 2000, many of us stuck on Earth wished we could join (at least temporarily) the Expedition 1 crew aboard the International Space Station. Floating effortlessly from module to module, looking down on Earth from a breathtaking height of 350 kilometers.... It's a dream come true for innumerable space lovers.
But be careful what you wish for! Living on the Space Station also means hard work, cramped quarters, and... what's that smell? Probably more outgassing from a scientific experiment or, worse yet, a crewmate.
To get a feel of how long ago that was, this is what the world looked like then vs. now:
2000: Eminem released The Real Slim Shady
Now: Scott Kelly listens to Eminem from space as part of his “Songs of a Year In Space” Spotify playlist
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2000: Cell phones were entering the mainstream
Now: Astronauts can video chat with their friends and family from space
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2000: Tom Hanks was left alone on an island in Cast Away
Now: Matt Damon is stranded on the planet Mars in The Martian
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2000: Scott Kelly had just returned from his first spaceflight on Space Shuttle Discovery to service the Hubble Telescope
Now: Scott Kelly is spending a year aboard the International Space Station for the longest mission ever embarked upon by a U.S. astronaut.
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2000: The Playstation 2 was released
Now: A Hololens is planned to be shipped to the space station aboard SpaceX
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2000: You were instant messaging your friends from your desktop
Now: Astronauts have access to Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Instagram and Pinterest FROM SPACE
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2000: Britney went to Mars in her “Oops!...I Did It Again” music video
Now: One Direction trains for the journey to Mars in their “Drag Me Down” music video
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2000: The International Space Station was under construction
Now: It is approximately the size of an American football field and weighs nearly 1 million pounds
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2000: Space was on the cover of Time Magazine
Now: Space is on the cover of Time Magazine
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2000: Inflatable furniture was a thing
Now: An inflatable space module is a thing
What differences do you remember from 2000? Tweet it to us at @Space_Station using #15YearsOnStation.
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15 Years of Station Told in 15 Gifs
1. International Space Station Assembly Animation
From 1998 to 2011, five different space agencies representing 15 countries assembled the International Space Station, the largest structure ever built in space. Today humans are still living and work in the orbital laboratory. November 2, 2015 marks the 15th anniversary of continuous human presence onboard.
2. Entry of Expedition 1
Expedition 1 crew members including, Commander William Shepherd and Cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko arrive to the International Space Station for the first time on November 2, 2000.
3. September 11, 2001
Expedition 3 Commander Frank Culbertson was the only American living off the planet on September 11, 2001. He captured his view of the fateful day from the space station.
4. Kibo
The Japanese Experiment Module, or Kibo, is installed to the space station on June 3, 2008. Kibo means “hope” in Japanese, and it is the largest single space station module.
5. First 6-person Crew
The first 6 person crew on the space station gathers for a press conference in May 29, 2009. Because it was comprised of astronauts from NASA, CSA, ESA, JAXA, and Russia, this was the first and only time all international partners were represented on the space station at the same time.
6. SpaceX Dragon
The space station’s robotic arm captures the SpaceX Dragon during its demonstration flight on May 25, 2012, making it the first commercial vehicle ever to dock with the space station.
7. Olympic Torch
Russian Cosmonauts Sergey Ryanzanskiy and Oleg Kotov bring the Olympic torch outside the space station during a spacewalk on November 9, 2013. The torch traveled to the station as part of the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
8. Testing Fire in Space
Astronaut Reid Weisman captured a floating sphere of fire observed during the Flex-2 experiment on space station on July 18, 2014. The findings may lead to better engines here on Earth.
9. Aurora
Astronaut Reid Weisman’s timelapse of a flickering aurora seen from space station on August 28, 2014.
10. Sunrise
Astronaut Reid Weisman’s timelapse of what a sunrise looks like from the space station on September 23, 2014.
11. Water Bubbles
Astronaut Reid Weisman experiments with water bubbles in space on November 8, 2014.
12. GoPro
Astronauts Terry Virts and Barry “Butch” Wilmore capture the first GoPro footage of a spacewalk on February 25, 2015.
13. Lightning
Astronaut Terry Virts filmed a massive lightning storm over India from the space station on May 9, 2015.
14. Milky Way
Astronaut Terry Virts captured a stunning view of the Milky Way from space station on May 15, 2015.
15. Veggie
Astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren, and Kimiya Yui taste lettuce that had been grown and harvested in space for the very first time on August 10, 2015.
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