Space station
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A space station is a spacecraft which remains in orbit and hosts humans for extended periods of time. It is therefore an artificial satellite featuring habitation facilities. The purpose of maintainin
First description of a rotating space station, in Hermann Noordung's The Problem of Space Travel (1929). (Legend: Achs-Körper: axle body. Aufzugschacht: elevator shaft. Treppenschacht: stairwell. Verdampfungsrohr: boiler pipe).
Skylab (1973–1974), the first U.S. space station and second overall
Mir station seen in 1998
View of the International Space Station in 2021
Tiangong space station
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The Tiangong space station, officially the China Space Station, is China's first permanently crewed space station, in low Earth orbit since 2021. Operated by the China Manned Space Agency, it is China
A rendering of the three module station with a Tianzhou spacecraft docked aft and two Shenzhou spacecraft docked to the forward and nadir (Earth facing) ports
Station elements as of April 2024 (exploded view)
Basic space experiment cabinet of Tiangong space station
Rear view of Tiangong Space Station, taken by a Tianzhou cargo spacecraft ahead of docking.