John Holdren, director of the White House office of science and technology policy, and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden have issued statements to mark the 15th anniversary of human presence onboard the International Space Station.“[ISS] is a unique laboratory that has enabled groundbreaking research in the life and physical sciences and has provided a test bed for the technologies that will allow NASA to once again send astronauts beyond Earth’s orbit,” Holdren said Monday.
Bolden commended NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and his crew for their involvement in reaching 5,478 days of continuous human residency aboard the ISS to perform space exploration and human research.
He said President Barack Obama has allowed NASA to continue to operate the ISS through 2024 as the space laboratory carries out research work in preparation for NASA’s mission to Mars in the 2030s.
“For more than a decade and a half, it has taught us about what’s possible when tens of thousands of people across 15 countries collaborate to advance shared goals,” Bolden added.
