International Space Station Russian space station called OPSEK. The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian "Salyut", "Almaz", and "Mir" stations as well as "Skylab" from the US. The station has been continuously occupied for since the arrival of Expedition 1 on 2 November 2000. This is the longest continuous human presence in low Earth orbit, having surpassed the previous record of held by "Mir". It has been visited by astronauts, cosmonauts and space tourists from 17 different nations. After the American Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011, Soyuz rockets became the only
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space to support research that is directed towards improving the lives of the American public. The ISS is a platform for a portfolio of research projects that exploit the microgravity environment, harsh external conditions of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and radiation exposure. CASIS, through its activities on the ISSNL currently contributes to a space-based economy, serving the academic and industrial research communities by providing access to the International Space Station (ISS). The ISSNL has conducted business in space for the past six years. During that time, it has built intellectual capital and a network of researchers that utilize existing resources on