Astronauts on the Space Station See 16 Sunrises a Day

On Earth there is one sunrise a day. On the International Space Station there are sixteen. NASA explains that the crew live and work while travelling at a speed of five miles per second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes. In 24 hours, the station makes 16 orbits of Earth, travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets. Each lap takes the station through daylight and then through darkness, which is why sunrises come so often. People have been living with that rhythm for a long time. According to NASA, the space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000. NASA describes an international crew of seven people on board, and says the station is operated by five space agencies from 15 countries.