Station Expected To Be Home To Humans Until At Least 2020

It was 10 years ago, Nov. 2, 2000, that the first crew arrived aboard the International Space Station to live and work aboard the orbiting laboratory. In a statement commemorating that event, NASA administrator Charles Bolden called the milestone significant for both NASA and its partners in the ISS.

NASA File Image

"It recognizes the success of an amazing feat of engineering and a magnificent leap forward in the story of human achievement," Bolden said. "I congratulate the entire station team and the thousands of people worldwide who have helped us reach this anniversary."

NASA File Image

The Expedition 1 crew consisted of Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. Since then, more than 196 people have visited ISS, and by the exact time of the anniversary Tuesday morning, the station had completed 57,361 orbits of the Earth, traveling some 1.5 billion miles.

Spacewalk Expedition 24

"More than 600 different research and technology development experiments have been conducted on the station, many of which are producing advances in medicine, recycling systems and a fundamental understanding of the universe," Bolden said. "On Oct. 25, the station set a record for being the longest continuously inhabited spacecraft. On that day, the space station eclipsed the previous record of 3,644 days set by the Russian Mir Space Station. The station is our toehold in space, and it will be an essential part of our work to send humans on missions beyond low Earth orbit in the future."

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

The NASA Authorization bill, passed earlier this year, will extend the life of the station to at least 2020. Representatives of the five international a agencies that built and operate the outpost have also agreed on this in principle. Bolden said one of the station's greatest legacies is the international partnerships we have forged "to create something awe-inspiring that benefits people all over the world. Partnerships with other nations will be essential to the global exploration enterprise of the future, and with each new day, NASA and its partners are pushing the envelope of human achievement in space into uncharted territory."

Expedition 22 Crew At Christmas 2009

Bolden recognized the current station crew representing NASA and Russia. "Tomorrow, (Wednesday)," he said, "the crew of STS-133 is expected to lift off on its way to the International Space Station aboard the last flight of shuttle Discovery. As we enter the station's second decade, our path forward will take us deeper into space and expand humanity's potential farther. The lessons we learn on the station will carry us to Mars and beyond. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to the six crew members on orbit and all the teams over the years that have helped us get to this milestone day."

FMI: www.nasa.gov