International Space Station Reaches 25 Years in Orbit; NASA Celebrates Anniversary With ISS Crew

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of a momentous event in space exploration - the mating of the first two modules of the International Space Station (ISS), Zarya and Unity. This significant milestone took place during the STS-88 mission of the space shuttle Endeavour.

The robotic arm of Endeavour, known as Canadarm, reached out and grappled Zarya, which had been on orbit just over two weeks and seamlessly attached it to the Unity module stowed inside the shuttle's payload bay. This operation initiated the assembly era of the space station, which started on December 6, 1998.

ISS Celebrates 25th Year in Space

Reflecting on this historic occasion, the seven-member Expedition 70 crew, currently aboard the ISS, called down to Earth on Wednesday and engaged in a discussion with NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana and ISS Program Manager Joel Montalbano.

Cabana, the commander of Endeavour during the mating of the modules, led a series of spacewalks to outfit both Zarya and Unity. Montalbano, the sixth leader of NASA's station program, expressed gratitude, saying, "We want to celebrate today all the people who designed, built, and operate the International Space Station."

Amid the celebrations, the ISS remains a hub of scientific activity. Researchers are actively engaged in space biology studies to enhance our understanding of human health, both on Earth and in the unique environment of space.

Aging studies, focusing on the molecular and cellular level, are ongoing to comprehend accelerated aging symptoms caused by space travel.

How ISS Space Crew Celebrates 25th Anniversary

NASA Flight Engineers Loral O'Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli processed liver stem samples for the Space AGE study in the Kibo laboratory module, investigating the aging-like properties of immune cells and the regenerative ability of liver cells.

Addressing mental health and cognition, crucial aspects for extended human missions beyond Earth, Commander Andreas Mogensen participated in the VR Mental Care experiment. Wearing virtual reality goggles, he experienced a 360-degree movie to assess its stabilizing effect on the nervous system.

Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa contributed to the CIPHER investigation, studying how microgravity influences brain structure, sleep quality, stress, and immune function through a computerized robotics test.

The international collaboration on the ISS was evident as Mogensen from the European Space Agency, Furukawa from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and O'Hara and Moghbeli collaborated on transferring payloads in and out of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on Wednesday.

Subsequently, the foursome devoted the rest of the day to various space research and life support activities, according to NASA's blog post. Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, a seasoned veteran, tended to eggs undergoing incubation for a Roscosmos space biology study, installed carbon dioxide monitors, and practiced using emergency masks.

Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub conducted an immunity study and unloaded cargo from the Progress 86 resupply ship. Simultaneously, Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov undertook diverse tasks, including replacing electrical plumbing gear, inspecting smoke detectors, and charging a scientific laptop computer.