Dr. PANKAJ DHUSSA NASA History of the ISS A Pictorial History of the International Space Station
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA History of the ISS A Pictorial History of the International Space Station By Dr.Pankaj Dhussa January 25, 1984 Reagan directs NASA to build the ISS "Just as the oceans opened up a new world for clipper ships and Yankee traders, space holds enormous potential for commerce today." President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address directs NASA to build an international space station withn the next 10 years. November 20, 1998 First ISS Segment Launches The first segment of the ISS launches: The Zarya Control Module launched aboard a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Zarya (translates to "sunrise") supplied fuel storage, battery power and rendezvous and docking capability for Soyuz and Progress space vehicles. December 4, 1998 First U.S.-built component launches Unity Node 1 module—the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station— launches into orbit two weeks later during the STS-88 mission. Joining Unity with the Zarya module was the first step in the assembly of the orbiting laboratory. November 2, 2000 First Crew to Reside on Station NASA Astronaut Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev become the first crew to reside onboard the station. Expedition 1 spent four months onboard completing tasks necessary to bring the ISS "to life" and began what is now more than 20 years of continuous human presence in space. February 7, 2001 U.S. Lab Module Added Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory module, becomes part of the station. The lab—that increased onboard living space by 41%—continues to be the primary research laboratory for U.S. payloads December 30, 2005 U.S. Lab Module Recognized as Newest U.S. National Laboratory Congress designates the U.S. portion of the ISS as the nation's newest national laboratory to maximize its use for other U.S. government agencies and for academic and private institutions.
Dr. PANKAJ DHUSSA NASA History of the ISS A Pictorial History of the International Space Station
- 1. History of the ISS A Pictorial History of the International Space Station All images courtesy of NASA or CASIS 2024
- 2. January 25, 1984 Reagan directs NASA to build the ISS "Just as the oceans opened up a new world for clipper ships and Yankee traders, space holds enormous potential for commerce today." President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union Address directs NASA to build an international space station withn the next 10 years.
- 3. November 20, 1998 First ISS Segment Launches The first segment of the ISS launches: The Zarya Control Module launched aboard a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Zarya (translates to "sunrise") supplied fuel storage, battery power and rendezvous and docking capability for Soyuz and Progress space vehicles.
- 4. December 4, 1998 First U.S.-built component launches Unity Node 1 module—the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station— launches into orbit two weeks later during the STS-88 mission. Joining Unity with the Zarya module was the first step in the assembly of the orbiting laboratory.
- 5. November 2, 2000 First Crew to Reside on Station NASA Astronaut Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev become the first crew to reside onboard the station. Expedition 1 spent four months onboard completing tasks necessary to bring the ISS "to life" and began what is now more than 20 years of continuous human presence in space.
- 6. February 7, 2001 U.S. Lab Module Added Destiny, the U.S. Laboratory module, becomes part of the station. The lab—that increased onboard living space by 41%—continues to be the primary research laboratory for U.S. payloads.
- 7. December 30, 2005 U.S. Lab Module Recognized as Newest U.S. National Laboratory Congress designates the U.S. portion of the ISS as the nation's newest national laboratory to maximize its use for other U.S. government agencies and for academic and private institutions.
- 8. February 7, 2008 European Lab Joins the ISS The European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory becomes part of the station.
- 9. March 11, 2008 Japanese Lab Joins the ISS The first Japanese Kibo laboratory module becomes part of the station.
- 10. November 2, 2010 ISS 10-Year Anniversary The ISS celebrates its 10-year anniversary of continuous human occupation. Since Expedition 1 in the fall of 2000, 202 people had visited the station.
- 11. February 2011 NASA Issues Cooperative Agreement NASA issues a cooperative agreement notice for a management partner.
- 12. July 2011 NASA Selects the ISS National Lab NASA selects the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) to manage the ISS National Lab.
- 13. June 26, 2012 First ISS National Lab Solicitation The first ISS National Lab solicitation to send sceince to the International Space Station is announced.
- 14. June 26-28, 2012 First ISS Research and Development Conference The ISS National Lab, NASA, and the American Astronautical Society (AAS) host the first annual ISSResearch and Development Conference (#ISSRDC) held June 26-28, 2012, in Denver, Colorado.
- 15. September 30, 2013 The First ISS National Lab Research Flight Proteins can be grown as crystals in space with nearly perfect three-dimensional structures useful for the development of new drugs. The ISS National Lab's protein crystal growth (PCG) series of flights began in 2013, allowing researchers to utilize the unique environment of the ISS.
- 16. April 18, 2014 First Payloads Awarded Through an ISS National Lab Solicitation The payloads, launched on SpaceX CRS-3, include multiple protein crystallization projects supported by grand funding from the first ISS National Lab request for proporsals, awarded in late 2012 and early 2013.
- 17. 2015 Space Station Ambassador Program Begins The ISS National Lab creates the Space Station Ambassador program, a nationwide network of educations and lifelong learners who share information about ISS National Lab educational activities with their students, peers, and communities.
- 18. 2016 Space Station Explorers Created The ISS National Lab creates Space Station Explorers, a community of educators, learners, and organizations that leverage the unique platform of the ISS National Lab to provide valuable STEM educational experiences.
- 19. 2016 ISS National Lab Launches an Investor Network The investor network connects venture capital, private equity, corporate, and other financial investors with startups in the ISS National Lab ecosystem.
- 20. February 2016 First Issue of Upward, Official Magazine of the ISS National Lab The magazine publishes feature articles and perspective pieces about the results from ISS National Lab-sponsored projects.
- 21. June 2016 First Commercial Tool Produced in Space The Kobalt wrench is 3D printed using the Additive Manufacturing Facility on station.
- 22. October 5, 2016 Four-Year, $12 Million Partnership with NIH on Tissue Chips Announced The ISS National Lab announces a four-year partnership with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to fund research onboard the ISS focused on tissue chips.
- 23. January 29, 2018 First Investigation Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation The first investigation funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation through its partnership with the ISS National Lab, a study of sediment particle interactions, launches to the space station on SpaceX CRS-15.
- 24. November 2, 2020 20 Years of Continuous Human Presence in Space NASA and the ISS National Lab celebrate 20 years of continuous human presence in space.
- 25. August 31, 2021 10-Year Anniversary of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) CASIS celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its creation and the beginning of its partnership with NASA to manage the ISS National Lab as a public service to the nation.
- 26. September 15, 2022 NASA Extends Cooperative Agreement NASA announces an extension of the Cooperative Agreement with CASIS to manage the ISS National Lab through 2027.