Humanity's Outpost

The ISS is a triumph of international cooperation and engineering:

• Continuously occupied since November 2000 — over 25 years
• Astronauts exercise 2 hours daily to combat bone and muscle loss
• Water recycling recovers about 90% of all water aboard
• At over $150 billion, the most expensive object ever built

The ISS is scheduled for decommissioning around 2030. Its legacy will be the medical, scientific, and engineering knowledge needed to send humans beyond low Earth orbit — to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.