The International Space Station (ISS) is truly an international undertaking. The project is being led by the United States, with the participation of Japan, the European Space Agency, Canada, Italy, Russia, and Brazil. Russia is participating in full partnership with the United States in the fabrication of ISS modules, the assembly of ISS elements on orbit, and, after assembly has been completed, the day-to-day operation of the station. Construction of the ISS began with the launch of the Russian Zarya module in November 1998 followed by the launch of the U.S. Unity module in December 1998. The two modules were mated and interconnected by the crew of the Space Shuttle during the December flight, and the first assembled element of the ISS was in place. Construction will continue with the delivery of components and assembly on orbit through a series of 46 planned flights. During the study period, the Assembly Complete milestone was scheduled for November 2004 with the final ISS construction flight delivering the U.S. Habitation Module. Engineering Challenges to the Long-Term Operation of the International Space Station is a study of the engineering challenges posed by longterm operation of the ISS. This report states that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the ISS developers have focused almost totally on completing the design and development of the station and completing its assembly in orbit. This report addresses the issues and opportunities related to long-term operations.

This case study on the International Space Station considers what many believe to have been the ultimate international engineering project in history. The initial plans involved the direct participation of 16 nations, 88 launches and over 160 spacewalks-more space activities than NASA had accomplished prior to the 1993 International Space Station decision. Probably more important was the significant leap in System Engineering (SE) execution that would be required to build and operate a multi-national space station. In a short period of time, NASA and its partners had to work out how to integrate culturally different SE approaches, designs, languages and operational perspectives on risk and safety. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) defines Systems Engineering (SE) as an "interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, and then proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem: operations, performance, test, manufacturing, cost and schedule, training and support, and disposal." One of the objectives of the Air Force Center for Systems Engineering (AFCSE) is to develop case studies focusing on the application of systems engineering principles within various aerospace programs. The intent of these case studies is to examine a broad spectrum of program types and a variety of learning principles using the Friedman-Sage Framework to guide overall analysis. These cases support practitioners of systems engineering and are also used in the academic instruction in systems engineering within military service academies and at both civilian and military graduate schools. SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES * General Systems Engineering Process * Case Studies * Framework for Analysis * ISS Major Learning Principles and Friedman-Sage Matrix * Historical Background * Soviet Space Stations * Skylab * Space Station Freedom * Shuttle-Mir Program * Space Station Freedom Redesign * Budget * Studies/Review Panels * Changes from SSF to ISS * NASA Systems Engineering Environment * NASA Management Approach * NASA Center Approaches * System Engineers and the Experience Chain * Systems Engineering Challenges of the ISS * Systems Engineering Process * International Partners * Safety/Risk approaches * FULL SCALE DEVELOPMENT * Major ISS Modules * Zarya Control Module * Unity Node * Zvezda Service Module * Destiny Laboratory Module * Canadian Space Robotics System * Quest Joint Airlock * Russian Pirs Docking Compartment * Columbus Laboratory * Kibo Japanese Experimental Laboratory * Cupola * Russian Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module * Multi-Purpose Logistics Module * Launch Services * Shuttle * Russian Vehicles * Japanese Projects * European Projects * Commercial Capabilities * Development Challenges * Technology Readiness and Obsolescence * Use of Probabilistic Risk Assessment * Russian Contribution and Risk * Spiral Construction Approach and Multi-configuration issues * Computer Hardware and Software * Power Systems * Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) Protection * Test and Integration * Execution Issues * Unrealistic Estimates for Cost and Schedule * Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act * ISS Logistical Support * Handling a Major Computer Failure * Transportation * Anomaly Resolution and the Columbia Accident * Major Risks to the ISS * Long Term Outlook * Lessons Learned * ACRONYMS * SPACELAB MISSIONS * PHASE ONE-SHUTTLE-MIR MISSIONS * MISSION SUMMARIES

In 1995 the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) initiated the Frontiers of Engineering Symposium program, which every year brings together 100 of the nation's future engineering leaders to learn about cutting-edge research and technical work in different engineering fields. On September 14-16, 2000, the National Academy of Engineering held its sixth Frontiers of Engineering Symposium at the Academies' Beckman Center in Irvine, California. Symposium speakers were asked to prepare extended summaries of their presentations, and it is those papers that are contained here. The intent of this book, and of the five that precede it in the series, is to describe the content and underpinning philosophy of this unique meeting and to highlight some of the exciting developments in engineering today.

The 'Cologne Commentary on Space Law' is a three-volume annotation on the written norms of space law as enunciated through the Treaties of the United Nations and its General Assembly Resolutions. Volume I focuses on the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, popularly known as the ?Outer Space Treaty?. A broad international authorship of twenty experts addresses the historical overview and provides a provision by-provision interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty. This Volume also includes insights into the subsequent State practice, present-day applicability and future perspectives of the Treaty. The other four UN Treaties, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, the 1972 Liability Convention, the 1975 Registration Convention and the 1979 Moon Agreement, are addressed in Volume II, which was published in 2013. Volume III (published in 2015) delves into the eight most relevant United Nations General Assembly Resolutions/Principles on space activities. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty, Volume I of the 'Cologne Commentary on Space Law' has been translated into Russian.

Ever since the completion of the Apollo program, there has been a lack of consensus about the future of human spaceflight. The Columbia tragedy in February 2003 rekindled public debate about this question. In November 2003, the Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board organized a workshop to explore aspects of the question, what should be the principal purpose, goals, and priorities of the U.S. civil space program? This report presents a factual summary of that workshop, which identified past lessons learned and guiding principles for the future of the civil space program. Seven broad themes emerged from the workshop, and these themes are highlighted in the report. The report also presents discussions of strategies for the human spaceflight program and guiding principles of and boundary conditions for a 21st century space policy.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has operated continuously since 1990. During that time, four space shuttle-based service missions were launched, three of which added major observational capabilities. A fifth â€" SM-4 â€" was intended to replace key telescope systems and install two new instruments. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia, however, resulted in a decision by NASA not to pursue the SM-4 mission leading to a likely end of Hubble's useful life in 2007-2008. This situation resulted in an unprecedented outcry from scientists and the public. As a result, NASA began to explore and develop a robotic servicing mission; and Congress directed NASA to request a study from the National Research Council (NRC) of the robotic and shuttle servicing options for extending the life of Hubble. This report presents an assessment of those two options. It provides an examination of the contributions made by Hubble and those likely as the result of a servicing mission, and a comparative analysis of the potential risk of the two options for servicing Hubble. The study concludes that the Shuttle option would be the most effective one for prolonging Hubble's productive life.