A milestone will be marked in space Tuesday, the 1,000th
consecutive day of people living and working aboard the
International Space Station. Seven crews have lived on the
Space Station, as it has dramatically grown in size and
capabilities.
Since the first crew arrived Nov. 2, 2000, the Station has
grown into an unparalleled space laboratory whose size will
eventually more than double. The living and working area has
increased 6,000 cubic feet during the past 1,000 days. The
Station’s 15,000 cubic feet volume is larger than a three-
bedroom house.
The seven Expedition crews, 10 Americans and 10 Russians,
have conducted 12 spacewalks from the Station, welcomed 11
visiting Shuttles, 10 Russian Progress cargo vehicles and
four Soyuz taxi crews. Additions to the Station include solar
arrays of unprecedented size; the first space railway,
stretching more than 130 feet; and a science facility, more
sophisticated than any ever previously flown in space, the
U.S. Destiny Lab. Canada provided a new generation of space
robotics with the unmatched capabilities of the Canadarm2.
Dual Russian and U.S. airlocks are functional and support
spacewalks.
The Expedition 7 crew aboard the Station, Commander Yuri
Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station Science
Officer Ed Lu, will commemorate the 1,000th day of continuous
human presence Tuesday at 10:35 a.m. EDT on NASA TV. NASA TV
is broadcast on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85
degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz.
Polarization is vertical and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.
Inside the orbiting complex, crews have created a home, as
well as a laboratory with quarters, galley, and weightless
“weight room” along side seven research facilities.
Aboard the Station, research has been conducted in
bioastronautics, physical sciences, fundamental space
biology, space product development and space flight
disciplines. Experiments conducted by Station crews may
provide insight that could lead to improved crops, better
braking systems, advanced spacecraft materials and petroleum
industry advancements. Space Station research also provides
crucial insight into the effects of weightlessness on humans,
paving the way for future human space exploration, as well as
fundamental research in cell growth and fluid physics.
Astronaut Peggy Whitson, the first NASA International Space
Station Science Officer named last year during Expedition 5,
helped intensify the focus on research. Today, Lu continues
research inside the Destiny Lab. He recently installed a new
experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox that studies
a reduction in the strength of metals, such as those used in
turbine blades and dental fillings.
The Expedition 7 crew also maintains the Earth Knowledge
Acquired by Middle Schools (EarthKAM) project that involves
middle school students from around the world. Through the
optical quality window in the Destiny Lab, students have
taken more than 6,000 photos of Earth via EarthKam to support
classes in Earth science, geography, social studies,
mathematics and art.
During the next 1,000 days, Station science operations will
increase. The assembly of essential U.S. Station components
is expected to continue followed by the installation of
international laboratories that will triple the size of
research facilities. The European Columbus Laboratory will
expand the Station’s size to that of a five-bedroom house. A
European Automated Transfer Vehicle will serve as an
additional spacecraft for transporting supplies to the
Station. The “Kibo” Japanese Experiment Module will be added
to further increase the Station’s science capabilities.
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