THE BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OPERATIONS WHILE STARTING SUSTAINABLE HUMAN EXPLORATION BEYOND LOW EARTH ORBIT

摘要

As the International Space Station (ISS) approaches its 19~(th) birthday, NASA and its international partner space agencies are laying the groundwork for the next step in human space exploration: beyond low Earth orbit. These excitingmissions, realized in partnership, will see human activity in cislunar space to accomplish a range of objectives which benefit life on Earth. The infrastructure envisionedby ISS partner space agencies will open up the solar system to sustainable human exploration of the Moon, asteroids and Mars. It will also support private sector initiatives and public private partnerships which advance a broader set of objectives. The architecture concept advanced by the ISS Partners builds on ISS lessons learned and benefits significantly from research and other activities onboard the ISS. These exploration enabling activities are essential to building a sustainable human exploration endeavor as they lead to an understanding of human exploration risks and also provide the chance to demonstrate capabilities which will manage the new risks. It is essential to keep the ISS operational during the initial missions beyond low Earth orbit. This paper will describe the planning for the next step in human space exploration, and show the importance of an overlap between the ISS and the initial exploration missions for technical and programmatic reasons. It will describe past experience and current considerations, learning lessons from the past. Specific recommendations and benefits will be described.