1. Why is the International Space Station up there?
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth for the benefit of humanity. For more than 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time.
The space station - which involves the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and the ESA (European Space Agency) participating countries - is one of the most complex, interdependent international collaborations ever attempted. It brings together international flight crews and multiple space transportation providers, as well as globally distributed support teams, facilities, communications networks, and the worldwide scientific community.
Over the past 25 years, the space station has transformed into an orbiting laboratory with research capabilities that enable scientists from over 109 nations to conduct over 4,400 groundbreaking experiments in an extreme and unique spaceflight environment.
The space station serves as a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA's next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
