Space Station life 'to be extended'

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International Space Station life 'to be extended'

Nasa has won White House backing to extend the life of the International Space Station for a further four years, until 2024.

Construction of the ISS began in 1998 and is a joint venture between the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and states in the European Space Agency (Esa).

These partners will have to support any extension for it to be implemented.

Their current commitments run to 2020, but many engineers believe the station could work safely until at least 2028.

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Obama Administration Extends International Space Station Until at Least 2024

During the International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF) January 9 at the U.S. State Department in Washington DC, White House Science and Technology Director John Holdren discussed the announcement by the Obama Administration that it has approved an extension of the International Space Station http://www.nasa.gov/station (ISS) until at least 2024. NASA and the White House are hopeful and optimistic that other International Space Station partners will join this extension effort and enable the continuation of groundbreaking research in this unique orbiting laboratory. The ISEF included 30 heads of space agencies from around the world, including NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

Credit: NASA

Source: NASA - Multimedia

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ScienceCasts: 10 More Years

Visit http://www.nasa.gov/iss-science to learn about science on the station

and http://science.nasa.gov/ for more.

With the space station no longer "under construction," the world's most advanced orbital laboratory is open for business. The station has just received a 10-year extension from NASA, giving researchers the time they need to take full advantage of its unique capabilities.

Credit: NASA

Source: NASA - Multimedia