The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in low Earth orbit (2000 km above the Earth). It is featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the level "Second Sun".
Modern Warfare 2
The ISS appears briefly in the mission Second Sun, in the perspective of an unnamed astronaut. In the mission, Houston Command communicates with the ISS to track the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launched by Captain Price. While tracking the missile expecting it to hit Washington DC, the missile blows up in mid orbit. The shockwaves following the explosion go through space, and rip the ISS and Sat1 apart.
Known Members
Trivia
- The part where the players controls Sat1 was supposed to be in a separate level/interactive cutscene called "International Space Station", similar to "The Coup" andAftermath. It was merged with this level in the final version of the game for unknown reasons, probably to keep the storyline at this part flowing.
- If the player (Sat1) doesn't look to the right as told, ISS Control will say "Sat1, rotate your view a little to the right, will ya?" In order for the cutscene to move forward, the player must move their view to the right when asked in order to get a glance of the missile.
- The in-game appearance of ISS is modeled after the configuration the station from 2002-2005. The current configuration (as of November 2009) is different, in that the Station is slightly larger, with the second node and the European and Japanese labs installed and the P6 Solar Arrays have been relocated from the top of the Z1 truss as seen in-game to the port side of ISS, with another set of solar arrays on the starboard side.
- The station would actually be functional by the time the game is set, as the ISS is scheduled for completion by 2011. However, the removal of parts could be a result of the ISS mission's termination mission.
- While the concept of a low-orbit nuke detonating and causing a wide-spread EMP is feasible, no shockwave would ever reach the ISS because it is at 341 km altitude, much higher than the the Kármán line, which only stands at 100km. The station would eventually be damaged by the Electro-Magnetic Pulse, and the heat from the nuke can damage the ISS, or even ignite the oxygen on board, which could explain the flames as the ISS is ripped apart.
- The International Space Station is set for deorbit by 2016,which is the same time that the game is set.