ISS Legacy and the Commercial Space Race: Why 2020s Are Launching Humanity Into Deep Space
ISS: A Launch Pad for Deep Space Exploration When the International Space Station was first assembled in 1998, NASA envisioned it as more than a laboratory. It would be a bridge into the solar system—a place to master living and working in space, develop life‑support systems and test technologies before committing astronauts to long voyages. In 2025, with the ISS still orbiting 400 kilometres above Earth, that vision is clearer than ever. Mastering a New Environment Micro‑gravity is a harsh teacher. On the ISS, astronauts must adapt to drinking in weightlessness, sleeping in vertical sleeping bags and maintaining fitness when bones
