NASA Plans to Put Nonprofit Group In Charge Of International Space Station Experiments
International Space Station NASA As NASA prepares to put the finishing touches on the International Space Station - just as soon as space shuttle Discovery can make one last visit - the space agency is looking to outsource its science experiments. When Congress extended the space station's mission to 2020, the authorization bill also directed NASA to establish a nonprofit organization to manage station research, hoping to ensure broad access to the orbiting outpost. Other U.S. government agencies, academic institutions and even private firms should have access to the station, according to the bill. NASA announced Thursday that it's looking for a partner who can take on that task. It must be a non-profit group, according to Congress. NASA is holding a forum for interested organizations next week in Washington, D.C. The American portion of the space station was designated a National Laboratory in 2005, which allows its facilities to be used by...