The idea of living in space was the very first step towards a space station. The ISS will continue to be a working laboratory and outpost in orbit until at least 2030. Much of the Station is modular and so as parts and systems wear out, new parts are launched to replace or augment the original. Since several elements are now beyond their originally intended lifespans, analyses are conducted periodically to ensure the Station is safe for continued habitation and operation. The intended life span of ISS has been extended several times. The program also brings together international flight crews and globally distributed launch, operations, training, engineering, communications networks, and scientific research communities.Īlthough the primary Mission Control centers are in the US and Russia, several ancillary control centers in Canada, Japan, and Europe also have a role in managing each nation’s elements and crew members. The global partnership of space agencies exemplifies meshing of cultural differences and political intricacies to plan, coordinate, provide, and operate the complex elements of the ISS.

The ISS program’s greatest accomplishment is as much a human achievement as a technological one. All the agencies are unified in their goals to apply knowledge gained through ISS research in human physiology, radiation, materials science, engineering, biology, fluid physics, and technology: enabling future space exploration missions.Īdvancing our knowledge in the areas of human physiology, biology, and material and physical sciences and translating that knowledge to health, socioeconomic, and environmental benefits onĮarth is another common goal of the agencies: returning the knowledge gained in space research for the benefit of society. All of the agencies recognize the importance of leveraging the ISS as an education platform to encourage and motivate today’s youth to pursue careers in math, science, engineering, and technology (STEM): educating the children of today to be the leaders and space explorers of tomorrow. While the various space agency partners may emphasize different aspects of research to achieve their goals in the use of the ISS, they are unified in several important overarching goals. The International Space Station (ISS) is the unique blend of unified and diversified goals among the world’s space agencies that will lead to improvements in life on Earth for all people of all nations. The station was designed from the outset to be interdependent and relies on contributions from across the partnership to function. In Phase 2, the elements of the new ISS were launched beginning in 1998.įive partner agencies, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the State Space Corporation “Roscosmos”, operate the International Space Station, with each partner responsible for managing and controlling the hardware it provides. Two new Russian modules, Spektr and Priroda were launched, became part of Mir, and housed dozens of US payloads and seven US astronauts.

Eleven Space Shuttle launches went to Mir with the last ten docking to Mir and astronauts and cosmonauts transferring between the two vehicles. Phase 1, called NASA-Mir, took place between 19. During Phase 2, led by the US and Russia, all of the participating nations would contribute elements and crewmembers to a new International Space Station (ISS).

The US would help to modify two Russian-built modules to house US and international experiments and to establish working processes between the participating nations. During the first phase, NASA Space Shuttles would carry astronauts and cosmonauts to the Russian Mir Orbital Station. In 1993, as the Station was undergoing a redesign, the Russians were invited to participate.Īgreement was made to proceed in two phases. Elements of the Station were in construction throughout the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe beginning in the late 1980s. Canadians, Japanese and many nations of the European Space Agency began to participate in the program soon after. NASA Administrator James Beggs immediately set out to find international partners who would cooperate on the program. The Space Station was officially given approval by President Reagan and a budget approved by the US Congress in 1984.

Pictures of international space station