ESA's Tik-Toker astronaut shows what happens inside ISS during orbit adjustment; WATCH

ESA astronaut Samantha Christoforetti arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) last month for a six-month-long stay with NASA’s Crew-4 team. Ever since her mission began, she has kept her followers entertained with short and fun videos she shares on her social media handles including on Tik-Tok. Christoforetti even became the first Tik-Toker to film a video in space. The astronaut has now shared a video from space depicting what goes inside the ISS when the flying laboratory adjusts its orbit every now and then. Check out the video below. 

In the clip, Christoforetti explained that the visuals are from the time when the space station underwent an orbital reboost, a procedure that is carried out to maintain the orbit of the ISS. She revealed that the astronauts inside the space station get pushed toward the module in the back during the orbital adjustment. The astronaut even shared a fun fact, explaining that it is not the astronauts that are moving inside the ISS but it is the space station that is moving around the astronauts. 

Why does the ISS need an orbital boost?

In simple terms, the ISS needs an orbital boost to prevent it from crashing into the Earth. The space station is placed approximately 400 kilometres above the ground and it travels at a speed of over 27,500 kilometres per hour. Now, since Earth has a relatively stronger gravitational pull and a recurring atmospheric drag, the orbit of the space station starts decaying over time, which forces the astronauts to correct its path around the Earth. 

The orbital correction is done by firing the thrusters of the spacecraft which are docked at the space station. Notably, there is no particular schedule for correcting the station's flight path as the orbital decay is not consistent. However, time and again, the reboost is also provided to avoid space debris flying around in the low-Earth orbit (LEO). Recently, the course correction of the ISS was widely being discussed after Russia threatened to end its cooperation in space. Currently, Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft are used to maintain the station's flight path, something which Russia tried using as leverage while being cornered by the Western nations. Amid the threats, NASA revealed that it is looking for alternatives and spacecraft of SpaceX and Northrop Grumman are the prime candidates.