The International Space Station Has Been Continuously Inhabited for Ten Years Today

ISS Above Earth The station as seen from space shuttle Discovery in March 2009. NASA Today marks the 10th anniversary of human habitation at the International Space Station, meaning that as of this week, humans have been living in space for more than two decades. That's a pretty impressive statement when you think about it. The ISS has been continuously lived in since Nov. 2, 2000, when Expedition 1 commander Bill Shepherd and flight engineers Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko became the first residents. Since then, 200 explorers have visited, 15 nations have contributed modules and hardware, and more than 600 experiments have been conducted, according to NASA. The ISS is by far the biggest man-made satellite to ever orbit Earth; it is easily seen with the naked eye, and its solar panels can be seen through an amateur telescope. Last week, the ISS finally surpassed the former Soviet Union...

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