Elon Musk known as this week for the deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) “as quickly as potential.”
“It’s time to start preparations for deorbiting the [ISS],” Musk wrote in a post on X on Thursday. “It has served its goal. There may be little or no incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars.”
In a follow-up put up, Musk stated he was planning to suggest to President Donald Trump that the station be introduced down “as quickly as potential” and that the 2030 timeline for deorbiting be moved as much as two years from now.
Area consultants advised ABC Information the ISS is essential in conducting scientific analysis, growing applied sciences, selling STEM training and fostering diplomatic relationships. Deorbiting the station prematurely may finish vital improvements and research pertaining to future area missions.
“It’s simply giving us nice knowledge on dwelling and dealing in area, longitudinally, which can apply on to our plans to return to the moon after which go on to Mars,” Jordan Bimm, area historian and professor of science communication on the College of Chicago, advised ABC Information. “So, it has a diplomatic goal. It has an experiential goal, after which clearly, it has these scientific and technological growth functions as effectively.”
“It would be a disgrace to chop this brief for a non-technical motive, however for reasonably form of political motive,” he added.
Elon Musk speaks throughout the Conservative Political Motion Convention in Nationwide Harbor, Maryland, Feb. 20, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Analysis and know-how growth in microgravity
Within the 24 years that the ISS has been in orbit, there have been more than 4,000 experiments carried out, in response to NASA.
Analysis is carried out throughout a number of disciplines, together with biology, earth sciences, human well being and bodily science, the federal area company stated.
The microgravity of space permits experiments to be carried out in a method that’s unable to be replicated on Earth as a result of planet’s gravity.
Bimm stated he believes one of the vital vital findings to return out of ISS analysis is how dwelling and dealing in microgravity for prolonged durations of time impacts the human physique.
“We have now discovered by finding out astronauts dwelling and dealing, by doing self-experiments on the scientists and astronauts on board, that microgravity impacts the physique in a number of deleterious methods,” he stated. “That results in your bone loss, muscle loss, modifications within the fluid inside our our bodies which can be usually being pulled down by Earth’s gravity, modifications to the attention and imaginative and prescient loss and issues like that.”
He went on, “We have now gotten good knowledge on how that progresses over time, and importantly, we’ve got developed countermeasures for these items as effectively, together with resistance coaching or operating on a treadmill, issues like that that we would not have with out the ISS, with out this platform the place people can spend lengthy durations of time persistently and be studied In a scientific setting.”
He stated persevering with to review this can be vital for future area missions, together with future moon missions beneath the Artemis program and eventual missions to Mars.
David Alexander, director of the Rice Area Institute at Rice College in Houston, advised ABC Information there has additionally been the development of technologies and supplies on the ISS that might profit not solely long-term area missions however life on Earth.
This subject, known as area manufacturing, includes DNA sequencing, growing new water purification programs and even drug growth.
“The distinctive surroundings of area permits us to maybe develop pure prescription drugs. Folks have been engaged on creating high-purity fiber optic cables that might pace up communications right here on Earth,” he stated. “In area manufacturing, a few of will probably be to be used in area however a few of it’s the market is right here on the bottom, to take these applied sciences and produce them to bear on, that have an effect on our each day lives right here on planet Earth.”
Encouraging STEM training
The ISS additionally participates in education programs that assist college students study science, know-how, engineering, and math (STEM).
This contains offering college students the chance to talk straight with crew members dwelling and dealing aboard the ISS through amateur radio, taking part in virtual missions, studying area experiments that may be done at home and difficult college students to design experiments that remedy area exploration issues with DNA evaluation.
“Astronauts will incessantly do teleconferences with lecture rooms, Q and As,” Bimm stated. “Having a terrestrial scientist come into your class, speaking with astronauts on orbit within the ISS imprints on the minds of younger folks in such a strong method that that is one other one among these like superpowers that we might lose if we misplaced the ISS.”
On this undated inventory picture, the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) is seen orbiting above Earth.
STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Inventory
Alexander stated NASA and the ISS work to speak with adults as effectively, with the Rice Area Institute internet hosting a current dialog between Olympic athletes and astronauts on the ISS.
He stated the dialog encompassed subjects reminiscent of work ethic, human efficiency, parallels between area and sports activities and the significance of worldwide collaboration.
“I believe it is actually, actually vital and, after all, that is why NASA, specifically, spends an enormous period of time in permitting their astronauts to be accessible to most of the people,” he stated.
Bettering diplomatic relations
The ISS is maintained by 5 area businesses and their contractors together with NASA, the Canadian Area Company, the European Area Company, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company and Roscosmos in Russia.
Within the Nineteen Nineties, the U.S. proposed combining the American and Russian area packages following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and stalling on particular person initiatives, to construct the brand new area station.
“We will positively discuss all of the totally different science and know-how growth that is taking place there, nevertheless it additionally serves a diplomatic goal bringing collectively totally different nations in area for such a long-term challenge,” Bimm stated. “It actually did characterize this like post-Chilly Struggle second the place the U.S. and Russia and worldwide companions may cooperate in area.”
NASA says the ISS has been visited by astronauts from 18 different countries to collaborate in area, serving to within the development, meeting and operation of the ISS.
Each companion nation manages and runs the {hardware} it supplies to the ISS, in response to NASA.
“That allowed us to foster a lot stronger partnerships with international locations all over the world and serious about area know-how growth and area exploration,” Alexander stated.
