International Space Station Benefits for Humanity (2nd Edition)

This publication shares the successes of the International Space Station (ISS) in this second edition of the International Space Station Benefits for Humanity. The ISS is a unique scientific platform that has existed since 1998. The tremendous value of the ISS began through the engineering achievement evolving over a decade. Components were built in various countries around the world—all without the benefit of prior ground testing—allowing us to learn a vast amount about construction and about how humans and spacecraft systems function in orbit. This testament to the international achievement exemplifies cultural harmonization through cooperative teamwork leading to an international partnership that has continued to flourish and foster international cooperation. While each ISS partner has distinct agency goals for research conducted, a unified goal exists to extend the knowledge gleaned to benefit all humankind. In the first edition of the book released in 2012, the scientific, technological and educational accomplishments of ISS research that have an impact on life on Earth were summarized through a compilation of stories. The many benefits being realized were primarily in the areas of human health, Earth observations and disaster response, and global education. This second edition includes updated statistics on the impacts of those benefits as well as new benefits that have developed since the first publication. In addition, two new sections have been added to the book: Economic Development of Space and Innovative Technology. Economic Development of Space highlights case studies from public-private partnerships that are leading to a new economy in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Businesses provide both transportation to the ISS as well as some research facilities and services. These relationships promote a paradigm shift of government-funded, contractor-provided goods and services to commercially-provided goods purchased by government agencies. Other examples include commercial firms spending their research and development dollars to conduct investigations on ISS and commercial service providers selling services directly to ISS users. This section provides examples of the use of ISS as a testbed for new business relationships and illustrates successful partnerships. The second new section, Innovative Technology, merges technology demonstration and physical science findings that promise to return Earth benefits through continued research. Examples include robotic refueling concepts for life extensions of costly satellites in geo-synchronous orbit that have applications to the robotics industry on Earth, flame behavior experiments that reveal insight into how fuel burns in microgravity leading to the possibility of improving engine efficiency on Earth, and nanostructures and smart fluids examples of materials improvements that are being developed using data from ISS. This publication also expands the benefits of research results in human health, environmental change and disaster response and in education activities developed to capture student imaginations in support of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, education, internationally. Applications to human health of the knowledge gained on ISS continue to grow and improve healthcare technologies and our understanding of human physiology. The ISS is a stepping stone for future space exploration, as the only orbiting multi-disciplinary laboratory of its kind returning research results that develop LEO and improve life on our planet. The goal of this publication is to serve as a source of pride to those who read it and learn of the unique shared laboratory orbiting our planet that provides ground for critical technologies and ways to keep humans healthy in space.