Boeing 747-8 vs International Space Station
Boeing 747-8 (76.3 m) is 1.05× the size of International Space Station (73 m).
International Space Station is 96% of the height of Boeing 747-8. The gap between them is 3.3 m (10.8 ft).
The comparison in numbers
| Thing | Size | In feet | Measured as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 747-8 | 76.3 m | 250 ft | length |
| International Space Station | 73 m | 240 ft | length |
What the scale shows
Boeing 747-8 (76.3 m) is 1.05× the size of International Space Station (73 m). The gap between them is 3.3 m (10.8 ft). Both are vehicles & ships, so the figures describe the same kind of thing.
Draw both on one baseline and the smaller one fills 96% of the frame while the larger one runs to the top. The two are close enough that the difference is easy to see side by side.
Read the rest — 8 more sections
What each figure means
The figure for Boeing 747-8 is its length (overall length). The figure for International Space Station is its length (length of the pressurised modules).
Crossing them
Walking pace is 1.4 m/s, so crossing Boeing 747-8's 76.3 m takes 55 seconds and International Space Station's 73 m takes 52 seconds.
In people: Boeing 747-8 is 45 adults of 1.7 m tall, International Space Station is 42.9. By size Boeing 747-8 is 7th of the 14 vehicles & ships on this site and International Space Station is 8th, so 1 place separates them in the ranking.
How to read these two figures
Before trusting any comparison, check what each number measures. The Boeing 747-8 is given as a length, overall length. The International Space Station is given as a length, length of the pressurised modules. Both are length figures, so putting them on one baseline is a like-for-like comparison, although the exact individual or convention still matters.
Vehicles are listed by overall length. Rockets are the exception and are given as full stack height standing on the pad. Everything is drawn standing upright so one scale holds.
Where the pair sits among all the sizes here
Across all 86 things on this site, the Boeing 747-8 is number 54 from the top and the International Space Station is number 55. No other item falls between them, so in this collection they are direct neighbours.
Because the collection spans 13 mm up to 1,392,700 km, a ratio of 107,130,769,231× from smallest to largest, the position of a pair says a lot: the pair sits in the middle of the range rather than at an extreme.
What the length ratio hides
A length ratio of 1.05× is easy to picture, but area and volume grow faster than length. If two objects had exactly the same shape, the Boeing 747-8 would have about 1.09× the surface or footprint of the International Space Station, and about 1.14× the volume. These two are not the same shape, so treat the figures as an upper bound for an imaginary scaled copy, not as a measurement of either one.
The drawing above shows length only. The International Space Station is drawn 96% as tall as the Boeing 747-8, but the equivalent share of footprint would be only 91.5%, which is why the smaller one looks even slighter than the numbers alone suggest.
Time to cross each one
A sprinter holding about 10 m/s covers the Boeing 747-8 in 7.6 seconds and the International Space Station in 7.3 seconds. Sound, at about 343 m/s in air, takes 222 milliseconds for the larger and 213 milliseconds for the smaller. A jet cruising at 900 km/h needs 305 milliseconds and 292 milliseconds.
These times assume a straight line and constant speed, which no real crossing has, but they turn a number in metres into something the body understands. At any fixed speed the travel times keep the same 1.05× ratio as the sizes.
The same figures in other units
The Boeing 747-8 measures 76.3 m, which is 250 ft or 83.4 yards. The International Space Station measures 73 m, which is 240 ft.
The difference between them is 3.3 m (10.8 ft). In metres the smaller one is 73 against 76.3, so the 1.05× ratio holds in every unit; only the numbers on the ruler change.
Questions people ask about this pair
Which is bigger, the Boeing 747-8 or the International Space Station?
The Boeing 747-8 is bigger. At 76.3 m it is 1.05× the size of the International Space Station, which is 73 m.
How many times does the International Space Station fit along the Boeing 747-8?
Less than twice: the International Space Station is 96% of the size of the Boeing 747-8, so one fits with 3.3 m to spare.
Are the two figures measured the same way?
Yes in kind: both are length figures. The Boeing 747-8 is overall length; the International Space Station is length of the pressurised modules.
How does the gap look in people?
Taking an adult of 1.7 m, the Boeing 747-8 is about 45 people tall and the International Space Station is about 42.9. The gap of 3.3 m is 1.9 people.
Where do the numbers come from?
Each item has its own page that names the measurement and links to the Wikipedia article it was taken from. Some figures are rounded, and animals vary from one individual to the next, so treat them as representative values rather than records for every case.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.