NASA's International Space Station is now 20 year old
New Delhi : On November 2, 2020, the International Space Station completed its 20 years of being in space.
On November 2, 2000, the first crew to inhabit the ISS, NASA Commander William Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos, arrived at the Station. Since then 241 astronauts from 19 countries have visited the station.
"Twenty years of living and working in space, carrying out cutting-edge research, and sustaining a multilateral international partnership has provided immeasurable benefits for science, exploration, and our everyday lives," said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
"I would like to extend a sincere congratulations to NASA and our international partners on this historic milestone. The ISS has proved that science and discovery should not be limited by a country’s border. I would like to thank all the brave crewmembers and the ISS workforce over the past few decades for their dedication to ensuring the safety and success of ISS operations and to our continued pursuit of space exploration and discovery."
The ISS is a collaboration between 25 space agencies and organisations. The ISS now consists of 16 modules: four Russian, nine US, two Japanese, and one European. It’s the size of a five-bedroom house on the inside, with six regular crew serving for six months at a time.
