posted 11-02-2015 07:18 AM               

15 years and 44 crews later, space station commander recalls first expedition

A week into taking up residency on board the International Space Station, Bill Shepherd closed out the first entry in his new (space) ship's log with a note to those supporting him and his crewmates on the ground.

"We have all written some space history," the Expedition 1 commander wrote.

Now, 15 years later, Shepherd's focus is on the future and how what he helped to start might influence what happens next.

"What does Space Station mean in the context of the next century, the next millennium? I think it is very exciting to wonder just how far this will go," he told collectSPACE.

posted 11-02-2015 11:34 AM               

White House, NASA Administrator statements on 15 years of human habitation aboard space station

The following is a statement from John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy:

"The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that has enabled groundbreaking research in the life and physical sciences and has provided a test bed for the technologies that will allow NASA to once again send astronauts beyond Earth's orbit. The international partnership that built and maintains the Station is a shining example, moreover, of what humanity can accomplish when we work together in peace.

"I congratulate all of the men and women at NASA and around the world who have worked so hard to keep the International Space Station operational these past 15 years. Everyone involved can be proud of this incredible achievement."

Statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden:

"Over the weekend, I called NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who is currently halfway through his one-year mission aboard the International Space Station, to congratulate him on setting the American records for both cumulative and continuous days in space.

"I also took the opportunity to congratulate Commander Kelly — and the rest of the space station crew — for being part of a remarkable moment 5,478 days in the making: the 15th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the space station.

"I believe the station should be considered the blueprint for peaceful global cooperation. For more than a decade and a half, it has taught us about what's possible when tens of thousands of people across 15 countries collaborate to advance shared goals.

"The International Space Station, which President Obama has extended through 2024, is a testament to the ingenuity and boundless imagination of the human spirit. The work being done on board is an essential part of NASA's journey to Mars, which will bring American astronauts to the Red Planet in the 2030s.

"For 15 years, humanity's reach has extended beyond Earth's atmosphere. Since 2000, human beings have been living continuously aboard the space station, where they have been working off-the-Earth for the benefit of Earth, advancing scientific knowledge, demonstrating new technologies, and making research breakthroughs that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space."

posted 11-02-2015 04:23 PM               

Space station crew reflects on 15 years of human habitation on outpost

Fifteen years after crew members first moved aboard, the astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station on Monday (Nov. 2) reflected on the past and spoke about the future of the outpost.

Describing their home above the Earth as a "bridge" and a "testbed" for future trips to Mars, the Expedition 45 crew, led by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, fielded questions from reporters on the ground about the milestone anniversary.

"We do a lot of experiments up here, but I think the most important experiment is the station [itself] as an orbiting vehicle that keeps humans alive in space for long periods of time," said Kelly, who with cosmonaut Mikhail "Misha" Kornienko is more than 200 days in to an almost year-long mission on orbit. "We work with the ground ... to maintain this environment using a level of discipline and procedures and operations."

"All of that is something we are going to need to explore deeper into space for longer periods of time," he said.