The actual measurements aren't important to the story being told, at all. The story isn't about the ISS and how big it is, it's just a detail to add colour to t

The actual measurements aren't important to the story being told, at all. The story isn't about the ISS and how big it is, it's just a detail to add colour to the article. Writing a "six bedroom house" gets the idea across more easily than 388 cubic metres of habitable volume. I have no idea how big 388 cubic metres is but I have a rough idea of what sizes houses are. Communication is all about tailoring your message to your audience. On the NASA page linked to in the article, they use the house analogy in addition to the cubic metres - because they understand that rough approximations can sometimes be more useful information than hard figures.