NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy
WASHINGTON -
NASA's International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier
Trophy, which is considered the top award in aviation. The National
Aeronautic Association in Washington bestows the award annually to
recognize the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in
America.
The association says it selected the station "for
the design, development, and assembly of the of the world's largest
spacecraft, an orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for
mankind and sets new standards for international cooperation in space."
"We are very proud to receive the Collier Trophy," NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This prestigious award is a
testament to the dedication and hard work of thousands of people around
the world. With our intention to extend station operations to at least
2020, there are limitless possibilities for science and technological
breakthroughs."
The station is a joint project of NASA, the
Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency. The orbiting
laboratory is nearing completion and will mark the tenth anniversary of
a continuous human presence in orbit later this year.
"We're
honored to be recognized for our past achievements for building and
operating the space station, and we're excited about the future," said
Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Space Operations
Mission Directorate. "There's a new era ahead of potential
groundbreaking scientific research aboard the station."
Congress designated the space station a national laboratory in 2005.
The station provides a research platform that takes advantage of the
microgravity conditions 220 miles above Earth's surface across a wide
variety of fields. These include human life sciences, biological
science, human physiology, physical and materials science, and Earth
and space science.
After completion of assembly later this
year, the station's crew and its U.S., European, Japanese and Russian
laboratory facilities will expand the pace of space-based research to
unprecedented levels. Nearly 150 experiments are under way on the
station. More than 400 experiments have been conducted since research
began nine years ago. These experiments already are leading to advances
in the fight against food poisoning, new methods for delivering
medicine to cancer cells and the development of more capable engines
and materials for use on Earth and in space.
Supporting an
international crew of six, the station has a mass of almost 800,000
pounds and a habitable volume of more than 12,000 cubic feet. It is
approximately the size of a five-bedroom home. The station uses
state-of-the-art systems to generate solar electricity, recycle nearly
85 percent of its water and generate much of its own oxygen. Nearly 190
people have visited the station, which is supporting its 22nd resident
crew.
The award will be formally presented to the
International Space Station Program team on May 13. The trophy is named
for Robert J. Collier, a publisher who commissioned it in 1910 with the
intent to encourage the U.S. aviation community to strive for
excellence and achievement in aeronautic development.
For more information about the Collier Trophy, visit:
http://www.naa.aero/html/awards/index.cfm?cmsid=62
For more information about the space station, visit: