International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project of 6 space agencies: the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Russian Federal Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA/ASC), Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and the European Space Agency (ESA, with members United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, Austria and Finland choosing not to participate; Greece and Luxembourg joined ESA later http://www.esa.int/esaHS/partstates.html).

History

Initially planned as a NASA "Space Station Freedom" and promoted by President Reagan, it was found to be too expensive. After the end of the Cold War, it was taken up again as a joint project of NASA and Russia's Rosaviakosmos. On December 1, 1987, NASA announced the names of four U.S. companies who were awarded contracts to help manufacture the US-built parts of the Space Station: Boeing Aerospace, General Electric's Astro-Space Division, McDonnell Douglas, and the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell.

Related Topics:
NASA - Space Station Freedom - President Reagan - Cold War - Russia - Rosaviakosmos - December 1 - 1987 - Boeing Aerospace - General Electric - McDonnell Douglas - Rocketdyne Division - Rockwell

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The first section, the Zarya Functional Cargo Block, was put in orbit in November 1998. Two further pieces (the Unity Module and Zvezda service module) were added before the first crew, Expedition 1, was sent. Expedition 1 docked to the ISS on November 2, 2000 and consisted of US astronaut William Shepherd and two Russian cosmonauts, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev.

Related Topics:
Zarya Functional Cargo Block - 1998 - Unity Module - Zvezda service module - Expedition 1 - November 2 - 2000 - Astronaut - William Shepherd - Yuri Gidzenko - Sergei Krikalev

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To construct the station, the large components are almost entirely completed on Earth, so that when they are launched into orbit the amount of installation required by the astronauts on the ISS is minimal. The components are usually launched in the large cargo bay of the NASA Space Shuttle. Currently the assembly sequence is just under half complete. As of 2005 the station is only able to accommodate three permanent crew members, compared to the expected seven that the completed station will hold.

Related Topics:
NASA - Space Shuttle - Assembly sequence - As of 2005

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The ISS has been far more expensive than originally anticipated by NASA. Its construction is also behind schedule, largely due to the halting of all NASA Shuttle flights following the Columbia disaster in early 2003. For the two and a half years that the NASA Space Shuttle fleet was grounded, crew rotation continued on the station through the use of the Russian Soyuz spacecrafts, although the science conducted aboard was very limited.

Related Topics:
NASA - Columbia disaster - 2003 - Space Shuttle - Soyuz spacecraft

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Construction of the station was scheduled to resume in 2006, following a few 'Return to Flight' missions, like STS-114. Unfortunately, the reappearance of the foam debris problem on the STS-114 mission in July 2005, (the same that doomed Columbia) has again delayed the launch sequence, and has even called into question the future of the space station.

Related Topics:
2006 - STS-114 - Foam debris problem - 2005 - Columbia

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