International Space Station
What is the International Space Station?
The historic arrival of the first permanent crew of the Space Station - the Expedition 1 crew - took place on November 2nd 2000. This date marked the dawn of a new space age, as it signified the beginning of an extended period of at least 15 years where there will be a continuously manned platform in orbit around the Earth - the International Space Station (ISS).
Assembly of the Space Station started in November 1998 with the launch of the first Station element, the Zarya module into orbit, and will continue throughout the next five years. Once the Station is complete, currently planned for 2010, it will offer an extensive range of facilities in a unique environment that cannot be found on Earth, and will enable mankind to continue to learn how to live and work in space for long periods.
The Station facilities are being contributed jointly by the International Partners (i.e., United States, Russia, Member States of the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada) and will enable utilisation activities in the fields of physical and life sciences, space science, Earth observation and technology innovation. In addition, commercial research and development; novel services, such as education and outreach; and innovative commercial use, such as advertising and broadcasting, are also activities which could benefit significantly from use of the capabilities of the Station.
Users do not have to wait until the Station is completely assembled however, before they can start using it. Indeed, the utilisation of the Station by users has already begun with experiments being carried out on the Zvezda service module, and the US laboratory module Destiny, and this will continue with facilities and resources becoming increasingly available in a gradual way, throughout the rest of the assembly phase. Routine utilisation will then be available for at least ten years following completion of assembly.
The benefits the Station offers users include:
- The capability to perform an experiment or observation programme over an extended period of time in weightless conditions;
- The capability to perform iterative research on a short timescale through the provision of regular access to and return from the Station;
- Provision of access to a significant level of resources;
- The permanent presence of crew (to interact with users experiments if required, or in the event of unforeseen problems);
- An extensive range of facilities to enable activities in a large number of utilisation fields.