Privileged Space Observatory

1999/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronautika

The European Space Agency (ESA) has built a glass dome that will be installed in 2003 at the International Space Station (ISS). Thanks to this, the astronauts present will be able to see the space with their own eyes and not in a virtual and computer way as before.

This is the first time that glass components are placed in a spatial construction. The dome, 2 m in diameter and hexagonal shape, is built in a completely transparent material. The material is silica glass and the dome is composed of four layers of this type to preserve the inner atmosphere and cope with the outer environment.

The astronaut will only need to remove the protective cover from the dome