International Space Station

ESA Supports ISS 2024:  Europe commits to the space station and ExoMars as part of $11 billion in commitments to ESA  The European Space Agency’s 22 member ministerial council ended a long range planning session in Switzerland late last week with an endorsement to extend operations of the International Space Station from 2020 to 2024. Other major partners Japan, Russia and Canada backed the U.S. extension proposal earlier.

Year-long Missions:  After Scott Kelly’s flight, NASA plans five more one-year missions  By spring 2017, NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, will mark the first anniversary of the 340-day mission to the International Space Station flown by now retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korienko. Currently, the two agencies are discussing five additional two-person long duration missions before the end of space station operations in 2024. The findings, say researchers, will help reveal the physical and mental challenges of long duration missions of human exploration, like those planned for cislunar space and Mars.

Inflatable House:  Inflatable house attached to ISS is doing well, says NASA  Bigelow Aerospace’s Bigelow Expandable Aerospace Module (BEAM) began a two year evaluation aboard the six-person International Space Station in May. So far, the module — pressurized but not occupied by astronauts except for the occasional data gathering — is doing well, according to a NASA status report. NASA is evaluating several proposals for space habitats suitable for future Earth orbit space stations, lunar orbiting habitats or habitats shepherding explorers to Mars.

Citizens for Space Exploration – a pro-space, taxpayer, grassroots advocacy group (http://www.bayareahouston.com/content/c_s_e/c_s_e) – has traveled to Washington, D.C. the past 24 years to meet face-to-face with Members/staff of Congress to discuss the value of America’s investment in space exploration. In order to sustain that dialogue on a regular basis, Citizens distributes “Space Exploration Update” to Congressional offices on a weekly basis. The intent is to provide an easy, quick way to stay abreast of key human space exploration program and policy developments.