International Space Station program ocean was found to be possible only with Russia's assistance. At the time ISS was launched, the Russian Space Agency had experience from de-orbiting the Salyut 4, 5, 6, and 7 space stations, while NASA's first intentional controlled de-orbit of a satellite (the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory) would not occur for another two years. NASA currently has no spacecraft capable of de-orbiting the ISS at the time of decommissioning. Skylab, the only space station built and launched entirely by the US, decayed from orbit slowly over 5 years, and no attempt was made to de-orbit the station using a deorbital
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