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Which of the following statements with regard to the International Space Station (ISS) is/are correct ?
1. It is orbiting around the Earth at a speed of approximately 1,00,000 km per hour.
2. It revolves the complete Earth orbit every 90 minutes.
3. Astronauts stationed at the ISS witness a sunrise (or sunset) approximately every 45 minutes.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect. The International Space Station (ISS) travels at an orbital speed of approximately 28,000 km per hour (about 7.6 km/s). A speed of 1,00,000 km/h exceeds Earth's escape velocity (approx. 40,270 km/h), meaning the station would fly away from Earth's orbit.
Statement 2 is correct. The ISS completes one full orbit around the Earth approximately every 90 to 93 minutes, depending on its exact altitude (roughly 400 km).
Statement 3 is correct. Since the ISS orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, the astronauts on board pass from the day side to the night side of the Earth and back again in that time. This results in them witnessing a sunrise or a sunset approximately every 45 minutes, leading to 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a 24-hour period.