A Birthday in Space
The International Space Station, or ISS, is like a giant science lab floating high above Earth. On November 2, 2000, the very first crew arrived to live there.
Since that day, there has always been at least one person on board. That means for 25 years, the lights have never gone out and the station has never been empty!
What Is the Space Station?
The ISS is about the size of a football field. It was built by many countries working together, including the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and countries in Europe.
It circles the Earth at around 400 kilometres up. That is much higher than any airplane flies. The station zooms so fast that it goes all the way around our planet in about 90 minutes.
Life Up There
On the station, everything floats! Astronauts sleep in little strapped-in beds so they don't bump into walls. Their food and water float too, so they have to be careful.
Because they circle Earth so quickly, astronauts see the Sun rise and set about 16 times every single day. Imagine 16 sunrises before bedtime!
Doing Important Science
The ISS is not just a home — it is a busy laboratory. Astronauts do experiments that are hard to do on Earth, like growing plants and studying how bodies change without gravity.
What they learn helps doctors, scientists, and future explorers. It even helps us plan trips to the Moon and one day to Mars.
Working Together
One of the coolest parts of the ISS is teamwork. Astronauts from different countries live and work side by side, helping each other every day.
It shows that when people cooperate, they can do amazing things — even build a home in space! That is a wonderful thing to celebrate after 25 years.