Establishing a Presence in Space

To begin with, to lead a successful long term space exploration mission it is crucial to establish a base of operations in space. At this time, the International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting around Earth as a research facility that provides an environment for experiments that are not possible on Earth. The International Space Station is still a work in progress. The project of the ISS first began in January 25, 1984 when U.S. President Ronald Regan announced that NASA would develop a permanently manned space station and invite other countries to work on it (Walker). Since then, several government organizations from around the world including NASA, Russian Federal Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have been contributing to its growth (“International Space Station” Astronomy & Space). These agencies are constantly working together in their research and also contribute by adding new modules of their own to the International Space Station. Most recently, in June of 2008, Japan with the help of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery was able to install a new research facility named Kibo on the International Space Station (“Japanese lab installed on space station”). Kibo, meaning “Hope” in Japanese, is the largest pressurized research facility in space (Larson).

With the addition of this new module, the space station takes one step further in its ability to conduct important research in space. With a well developed space station, extensive research can lead to new discoveries in science that will play a vital role in future space exploration missions. It also provides for opportunities on learning to how manage extended stays in space, which will be essential when concerning further space travel and exploration (“International Space Station”). Clearly the International Space Station has a long way to go before it resembles anything seen in Sci-Fi movies.

However, with the continued cooperation of government agencies and engineers around the world, this task is not a stretch of imagination but a possible reality in the future. In time the International Space Station can serve as more than just a place for science experiments, but possibly a waypoint for further space exploration than thought possible.

Works Cited:

"International Space Station." Astronomy & Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch. Ed. Phillis Engelbert. Online. Detroit: U*X*L, 2007. Science Resource Center. Gale. 12 November 2009

"International Space Station." Science in Dispute. Ed. Neil Schlager. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Science Resource Center. Gale. 12 November 2009 http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=CV2643510002

"Japanese lab installed on space station." Kibo at the International Space Station Nature, June 12, 2008 v453 i7197 p837(1). Science Resource Center. Gale. 12 November 2009

Larson, Chris. "Discovery Delivers the Goods." Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, July 2008. Web. 5 Nov. 2009. .

Walker, Charles D. "International Space Station." Space Sciences. Ed. Pat Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Science Resource Center. Gale. 12 November 2009 http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=CV2643750166

Photo Credit:

“International Space Station”

http://ezp.tccd.edu:2085/stories/photos/sp007179.jpg

“Kibo”

http://ezp.tccd.edu:2085/stories/photos/sp007180.jpg