Designed To Showcase The Station To UN Member States

NASA was among the participants in a seminar held Tuesday designed to create awareness among United Nations member states on potential uses of the International Space Station. At the request of the U.N.'s Office for Outer Space Affairs, NASA and its international partner agencies attended the outreach seminar in Vienna.

Representatives from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Russian Federal Space Agency presented information on their respective capabilities available on the orbiting outpost. They discussed the station's management structure, research facilities, research accomplishments, education outreach activities and mechanisms for cooperation.

"This was an opportunity for NASA and our international partners to share the capabilities of the space station with the international community," said International Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson, who presented at the seminar. "Now that the station has shifted from construction to research and technology development, we are working as a partnership to optimize its use as a laboratory."

The seminar was the first activity under the U.N.'s Human Space Technology Initiative, a new program that builds awareness among U.N. member states on the benefits of using human space technology to contribute to international cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space.

The seminar occurred during the 48th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). UNCOPUOS members who participated gained a greater understanding of the space station and its research, utilization and educational opportunities. As a result, countries not currently part of the International Space Station partnership now will be able to assess better the opportunities for collaborative research aboard the station.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/iss-science