How do many countries build and run a home in orbit? In this story-led space adventure for kids ages 4–10, Little Modak follows a curious child and a narrator who investigate the International Space Station one question at a time, making a guess before each answer. Find out how the station was built piece by piece, how spacecraft meet it, who shares it, why astronauts float, how it keeps air, water and power going, and what scientists learn there. Young listeners will discover: - How the station started: the Russian-built Zarya module launched on a Proton rocket on 20 November 1998, which NASA calls a temporary control module, and the first American piece, Unity, followed on Space Shuttle Endeavour in early December 1998, when the shuttle's robotic arm joined the two. NASA counts 42 assembly flights and says building went on for 13 years.- How spacecraft meet the station: it moves at about five miles (eight kilometres) per second and circles Earth about 16 times a day. A craft can fly itself in and dock, as Soyuz and Progress do, or the station's robotic arm can catch it, which is called berthing. Canada built Canadarm2 and the helper robot Dextre, and by April 2021 Canadarm2 had caught 44 cargo craft.- Who shares the station: five space agencies from 15 countries (NASA, Roscosmos, CSA, JAXA and ESA), who signed their agreement on 29 January 1998. NASA says each partner looks after the hardware it provides. Europe's Columbus laboratory launched in February 2008, Japan's Kibo began going up in May 2008, and the partners agreed a shared docking standard, announced on 19 October 2010, though not every craft uses it.- Life aboard: Russia's Zvezda module, launched in July 2000, added living quarters, life support and communication equipment, and the first crew arrived on 2 November 2000. As of November 2025, people have lived aboard ever since. Astronauts float because they are falling around Earth, where gravity is still about 90 percent as strong as on the ground, which is why NASA says microgravity, not zero gravity. As of July 2024 the station has 388 cubic metres of living and working space and a crew of seven.- Power, air and water: big solar panels make electricity and batteries take over when the station is not in sunlight, oxygen is made by splitting water, and filters called molecular sieves trap the carbon dioxide people breathe out. The station cleans wastewater and cabin moisture into drinking water, and NASA reported a total water recovery of 98 percent in 2023, so less has to be launched.- What we learn there: scientists study why a flame turns round without gravity (safely, and never to be tried at home), NASA says astronauts have grown more than 50 species of plants in space, and as of November 2025 NASA says at least 290 people from 26 countries have visited the station. Hard work becomes possible when countries cooperate for a long time: a true story about shared building, careful meetings in orbit and curiosity. It ends with a question for next time: could a small craft with many problems still bring home a piece of an asteroid? Perfect for curious kids who love space, rockets, robots, engineering puzzles and real stories of teamwork. 🎧 A screen-free educational podcast for kids and families. Topics: International Space Station, Zarya and Unity, docking and berthing, Canadarm2, space agencies, microgravity, why astronauts float, recycling water in space, teamwork Find Little Modak here:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1RrbFTA21iMQFfF2mB1ema?si=96a42195db5648f7YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPcV2xnAd5RcApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-little-modak-english/id6802912537Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/faa5ace9-7703-4d35-94d0-53bb9fe1ab27Podcast website: https://littlemodak-multiverse.transistor.fm/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittlemodak/
