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The three astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station took a moment to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the launch of the very first piece of their current home, evoking what they view as the value of the long-term project. .
Their recorded video message, combined with an individual interview with NASA ISS Program Director for ISS, Kirk Shireman, is a new video published by NASA on the occasion of its anniversary.
"It's also one of the most valuable and improbable achievements of humanity," said Alexander Gerst, European Space Agency astronaut and commander-in-chief of the station spatial, in the video. "If you're under 30, every moment of your life, there was a human being in space, on the Mir and ISS space stations." [International Space Station at 20: A Photo Tour]
Even though astronauts represent only a tiny proportion of the Earth's human population, he said, this presence on the space station is essential.
"Seven billion humans live on planet Earth, three humans are living in space right now," Gerst said. "We come from three different continents, we are friends, we are here for you, we are your eyes on this beautiful planet, we bring home a rare perspective, our eyes see things that otherwise would not be visible. , some bad, some alarming. "
He also spoke about the debate surrounding the birth of the program. "There was a time when seemingly crazy optimists dreamed about this ISS project." Other people, saying they were realistic, said it was not possible, Gerst said. "We are in the most complex machine ever built by humanity."
But for Gerst, it should not end with the space station. "ISS is a ship that teaches us to fly beyond the horizon," Gerst said. "We are literally the first generation of fish to leave the Earth's ocean, the next generation will land on Mars, using the knowledge and technology developed on the International Space Station."
His teammates, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev and NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, also spoke about the anniversary.
"The ISS is currently the best example of winning human thought combined with an outstanding example of international cooperation," said Prokopyev, congratulating the ground teams that made the mission possible. "We wish you prosperity in all things, we wish you kindness, peace and success in achieving our common goals, both on Earth and in space."
Auñón-Chancellor has chosen to highlight the scientific work carried out aboard the laboratory in orbit: more than 2,500 experiments involving researchers from more than 100 countries. "What's important to remember is that many of these experiences not only benefit our ability to live in space, but also have a direct impact on our lives on Earth," he said. she said. "The science of the space station is really out of the Earth, for the Earth."
During his interview, Shireman emphasized the international collaboration needed to make the space station a reality. "The United States, of course, had their own space story and Russia, their own space story, and it was really great to see it unite," he said.
The Soyuz rockets and the Mir space station in Russia, the US shuttle program and small hardware components were feeding the International Space Station. "All of these pieces together existed before and their assembly into a truly unique spacecraft really led to the success of this program we had," said Shireman.
And for him, it has changed the way humanity thinks of the Earth and the space. "The 18 year olds have never known a time when people did not live and did not work in the space," added Shireman. "They take for granted that humans live and work in space … [the space station] has changed the mentality, the thought process of everyone on this planet ".
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her. @meghanbartels. follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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