UNIT 8
LAB QUESTIONS
Go For Assembly: Building the International Space Station
1. What types of temperatures would astronauts have to contend with while building the
space station? How where spacesuits designed to deal with temperature variations?
Astronauts have to deal with temperatures of -150 to – 175 below zero and their spacesuits
have heaters with temperature controls, even in the fingertips. The heaters can be turned
up within the suit throughout the evenings when it gets colder.
2. How big would the space station be? How would the astronauts move across the space
station?
The space station will be one hundred yards long. The astronauts will be able to move
around through a railroad cart type structure across the space station.
3. How do they account for astronaut safety while they are working on the space shuttle?
They account for astronaut safety by developing and testing things like the foot restraints to
make sure that the astronauts stay hooked on to the station.
4. How did the astronauts test their suits and equipment in zero-gravity conditions?
The astronauts tested their suits and equipment underwater to imitate a near zero gravity
type condition.
5. What types of tasks will they use robots for on the space station?
The robot arm from the space shuttle was used to deploy and retrieve big pieces of the
space station. The space station finally was provided with its own arm.
6. What will the space station be used for?
The space station was designed to be used for scientific experiments of how things respond
when they are put into a space environment.
