ISS Virtual Tour

Seems like their poor server is struggling with load.

I would love to see a version of this for Google Cardboard

I love the disconnect between science fiction and reality. There's no beautiful Kubrick-esque set design here. The whole thing just looks like someone's garage, full of nick-nacks, tools, and little projects. It just a giant mancave, really. This is why I'm a little bored with LEO space exploration. I can't wait for the SLS to go live and try something that isn't this.

That said, I would love to see a ISS-like structure on the moon, perhaps also serving as a dark-side radio telescope.

There are Soyuz constantly docked to the ISS with enough seats for everyone on board. Those are where you would exit the station in case of emergency. The signs show the way.

I assume that’s the case, since that is the only explanation that does make sense given the design – with the red stripes – and the consistent placement of the signs. The station has two other obvious exits – the two air locks – but those wouldn’t be used in case of an emergency and don’t need signage throughout the station showing you the way there.

There is an exit sign right next to the US airlock, but that could also just be there to tell you to turn left when you exit the airlock to get to the docked Soyuz: http://imgur.com/8UJP11Y

If you look around you can see that the red stripe design is used throughout the station to show you where things are you would need in an emergency, like “Portable Breathing Apparatus”, “Fire Extinguisher” and “Fire Port” (all for use during fires). There are also some signs with red stripes that have different directional arrows and pictograms on them. Oh, I just zoomed in on those and look what I found: http://imgur.com/3Qyl3bE

That’s your definite answer! The pictograms are an elaboration on the Exit signs, showing you the directions in which you can find the Shuttle and Soyuz. Obviously, that Shuttle pictogram – it was always docked at the other end of the station – is kinda outdated by now. They can hopefully put some nice Dragon/CST-100 stickers on there soon.

It seems they use red/white stripes to indicate emergency routes and equipment and yellow/black stripes for warnings and caution signs. Blue signs to show you where up and own, backward and forward, left and right is. As the station is always in free fall that’s obviously arbitrary, but consistently defining those directions in some way obviously also helps with orientation (and, I would assume, communication between everyone working up there and those on the ground communicating with the station). Look for the OVHD, FWD, AFT, DECK and so on signs around the hatches. Also, look at the hatch where you enter the Russian sector (directly beyond that and down are the Soyuz). You can see many round glow-in-dark patches around the hatch, obviously also used to show you the way to a Soyuz ship, especially if, say, power and lights are out.

By the way, look what I found: http://imgur.com/Elwl8Rf

It seems someone moved the equipment for some reason and patched over the emergency sign, adding a handwritten note with the place the equipment was moved to.

I know that they do have a printer on board but, eh, I guess a handwritten note will do. (I love looking at all of those all over the station.)

(Cosmonauts in the Russian part of the station apparently have an innate sense of direction in space and as such do not need signs, or at least not as many. And definitely none with such gaudy designs!)

More info here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/12/05/how-are-laptops...