All Fermi answers
Fermi #57 · Question 1

How many different people have been aboard the International Space Station?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

1QUESTION 1 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

The International Space StationPhoto: NASA

The International Space Station

The International Space Station in orbit, its long truss and solar array wings spread wide, with the cloud-covered curve of Earth behind it

Illustration from Fermi.gg · Photo: NASA

Answer & explanation

Official answer

295

people

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

The station has had people living on it nonstop since 2000, so about 25 years. How many are up there at once? Six or so, and the crew swaps out about twice a year.

Years with a crew aboard
~25
Crews per year
× 2
People per crew
× 6
25 × 2 × 6
≈ 300

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
US astronauts who have visited
173
Visitors from the other 25 countries, 13 private tourists included
+ 122
173 + 122, as of July 2026
= 295 people

Reference cited by Fermi: NASA, International Space Station Visitors by Country (July 2026)

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