View of Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) A few ISS facts: - The first piece of the ISS was launched in Nov 1998 - Travel speed is approx. 8 km/s (5 miles/second) - ISS orbits at an altitude of approx. 400 km (250 miles) - It falls towards Earth continually due to atmospheric friction and requires periodic rocket firings to boost the orbit Credits: NASA / ESRS #water #earth #satellites #satellite #iss #spacestation #spacecraft #planetearth #ourplanet #lifeonearth #solarsystem #ast