Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first module named Zarya lifted off on the 20th of November 1998 atop a Proton rocket. This Russian-built Functional Cargo Block provided initial propulsion and power for the nascent station.
Scientists aboard the International Space Station conducted experiments involving Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria which survived three years exposed directly to outer space conditions. These findings support panspermia theories suggesting life might exist throughout the universe distributed via meteoroids or asteroids.
Fifteen countries participate through five major space agencies including NASA Roscosmos ESA JAXA and CSA. The 1998 Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement established legal frameworks governing jurisdiction conduct among visiting astronauts.
The Integrated Truss Structure spans one hundred meters supporting solar arrays radiators and external payloads across ten segments. Canadarm2 serves as the largest robotic manipulator weighing approximately thirty-six thousand kilograms used for docking spacecraft moving equipment during spacewalks.
Planned components cancelled over years due budget constraints redesigns post-Columbia disaster include centrifuge accommodations habitation modules interim control propulsion alternatives. SpaceX secured June 2024 contract building US Deorbit Vehicle performing controlled descent demise station after operational life ends December 2030.