THE International Space Station is poised to receive a new lease of life, after international partners agreed in principle to keep the $100 billion outpost going until at least 2020.
The ISS was originally set for decommissioning in 2015, but industry officials have assured policy-makers that it is structurally fit to last the additional years.
The extension would be good news for researchers hoping to take advantage of the space station鈥檚 microgravity environment. Possible future research includes an experiment due to begin in a few months into gravity鈥檚 effect on biofuels, and a device yet-to-be-launched called the designed to search cosmic rays for evidence of dark matter and antimatter.
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The extra five years will also allow further research on the psychological performance of teams during long-term space missions, and on how organisms withstand the harsh conditions of space, says of the Rutherford Appleton Lab in Didcot, UK. Other research will focus on the development of new materials.
鈥淭he extension will allow further research on how organisms withstand the harsh conditions of space鈥�
Arguments are rumbling on over how US astronauts will get to the ISS, though. On Monday, NASA announced that in May it will resume plans to dismantle its shuttle fleet, despite calls to extend its life beyond 2010. After the shuttles are retired, NASA will pay the Russian space agency for seats on its Soyuz craft.
