ISS

The ISS stands for the International Space Station, which is like a giant house floating around in space that people can live inside. It's made up of lots of different parts that were built by lots of different countries all over the world.

The ISS orbits, which means that it goes around, the Earth at a really high altitude, which is the height or distance above the ground. Think of it like a big satellite or a really fancy plane that doesn't have any wings or wheels.

There are astronauts who live on the ISS for months at a time. They sleep in special beds and wear pajamas just like you do at home. They do all kinds of experiments to help scientists understand how to live in space and to learn more about the Earth and the universe around us.

To get to the ISS, the astronauts have to launch into space on a rocket. That's like a big firework, but much, much bigger. It takes a few days to get to the ISS, and then they have to dock, which means they have to attach their rocket or ship to the ISS like you would dock a boat at a dock on a lake.

The ISS is really cool because it's like a little city in space that helps us learn more about what's out there beyond our planet.