Since Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev first boarded the station as the Expedition 1 crew, more than 196 people have visited the complex, and by the exact time of the anniversary this morning, the station will have completed 57,361 orbits of the Earth, traveling a distance like 8 times from the Earth to the Sun and back (around 1.5 billion miles).
More than 600 different research and technology development experiments have been conducted on the station, many of which are producing advances in medicine, recycling systems and a fundamental understanding of the universe.
On October 25, the station set a record for being the longest continuously inhabited spacecraft. On that day, the space station eclipsed the previous record of 3,644 days set by the Russian MIR Space Station. The station is our toehold in space, and it will be an essential part of our work to send humans on missions beyond low Earth orbit in the future.
Representatives of the five international agencies that built and operate the outpost have agreed to extend the life of the station to at least 2020. Indeed, one of the station's greatest legacies is the international partnerships we have forged to create something awe-inspiring that benefits people all over the world. Partnerships with other nations will be essential to the global exploration enterprise of the future.
On board the station right now are six talented and courageous travelers representing NASA and RKA agencies. This week, the crew of STS-133 is expected to lift off on its way to the International Space Station aboard the last flight of shuttle Discovery. As we enter the station's second decade, our path forward will take us deeper into space and expand humanity's potential farther. The lessons we learn on the station will carry us to Mars and beyond.
NASA administrator gives a heartfelt thank you to the six crew members on orbit and all the operations teams over the years that have helped getting to this milestone day.
To see more about this unprecedent celebration visit following sites:
International Space Station: 10 Years and Counting
Ten Years on the International Space Station
The International Space Station: Together is the Future
International Space Station News
Congratulation to all my Flight Control Team colleagues in Oberpfaffenhofen, Houston, Huntsville, Moscow and Tsukuba!!!
Juan Martín Canales Romero
ISS Columbus Operations Coordinator
