Soyuz

Overview: 

A Soyuz rocket carrying Russian, American and Canadian astronauts took off from Kazakhstan and has reached orbit, in the first manned mission since a failed launch in October.

Soyuz- key facts:

• The Soyuz (SAW-yooz) is a Russian spacecraft. Astronauts and cosmonauts travel to the International Space Station on the Soyuz.
• The Soyuz transports crews to the International Space Station and returns them to Earth after their missions.
• The Soyuz is like a lifeboat for the space station. At least one Soyuz is always docked at the space station. If there is an emergency, the station crew can use the Soyuz to return to Earth.
• The Soyuz is the only means of reaching the ISS since the U.S. retired the space shuttle in 2011.

What Is the International Space Station?

• The International Space Station is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a home where crews of astronauts and cosmonauts live. The space station is also a unique science laboratory. It orbits Earth at an average altitude of approximately 250 miles. It travels at 17,500 mph. This means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes. NASA is using the space station to learn more about living and working in space. These lessons will make it possible to send humans farther into space than ever before.
• The ISS programmeis a joint project among five participating space agencies:

NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.

• The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. The station is divided into two sections, the Russian Orbital Segment(ROS) and the United States Orbital Segment (USOS), which is shared by many nations. 

Sources: the hindu.