The International Space Station is How Big?!

The International Space Station orbits Earth about every 90 minutes. That means astronauts aboard the ISS see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every single day!

This speedy orbit isn’t just for show, it helps the station stay in low Earth orbit, about 250 miles above the planet. If you could hitch a ride, you'd circle the Earth at over 17,000 miles per hour. That’s fast enough to cross the U.S. coast-to-coast in under 10 minutes.

Here’s another mind-bender: The space station is the size of a football field. It’s made of multiple modules and solar panels that were sent up piece by piece and assembled in space, like the ultimate LEGO set.

One more fun fact: You can see the space station from your backyard! It looks like a bright, fast-moving star, especially right after sunset or just before sunrise. NASA even has a site called "Spot the Station" to help you track it.