국제 우주 정거장(ISS)에 15년(5천478일) 연속 우주인이 체류하는 기록이 2일(현지시간) 세워졌다.
미국 항공우주국(NASA)을 비롯해 러시아 등 ISS 건설에 동참한 각국과 ISS에 체 류 중인 우주인 6명은 이날 인간의 우주 거주 15주년을 자축하는 기자회견을 했다고 AP통신 등 외신이 보도했다.
2000년 11월2일 처음으로 우주인이 지상으로부터 400㎞(250마일) 상공에 있는 ISS에 거주하기 시작한 이후 지금까지 17개국 출신 우주인 220명이 ISS를 거쳐 갔다.
미국 출신 우주인이 ISS에 가장 많이 체류했으며, 러시아, 캐나다·일본 등이 그 뒤를 이었다.
한국 최초의 우주인 이소연 씨는 2007년 4월9일부터 19일까지 ISS에 머물면서 우주과학 실험을 수행하기도 했다.
같은 기간 총 2만 6천500명 분의 식사가 제공됐으며 방도 3개에서 13개로 늘어났다. 중량도 보잉747과 맞먹는 약 450t으로 무거워졌다.
그간 1천760회의 실험이 진행됐고 1998년 ISS 건설이 시작된 이후 공사와 보수 등을 위해 189회에 걸쳐 우주유영이 이뤄졌다. 190회 유영은 오는 6일 진행될 예정이다.
NASA는 보수를 통해 2024년까지 ISS를 운영할 방침이다.
ISS에 머무는 미국, 러시아, 일본 출신 우주인 6명은 우주인 연속 거주 15주년을 기념하기 위한 특별 만찬을 할 계획이다.
스콧 켈리 ISS 선장은 "ISS의 가장 큰 혜택은 우주 속으로 장기 탐사 목표를 더욱 진척시킨다는 것"이라고 말했다.
미국 우주인 크젤 린드그렌은 "우주정거장은 우리가 화성으로의 성공적인 여행을 위해 이해해야 하고 발전시켜야 할 기술을 위한 테스트베드 역할을 하는 '다리'"라고 비유했다. (연합)
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Space station marks 15 years of nonstop human presence
Humankind marked an off-the-planet pinnacle Monday: the 15th anniversary of continuous residency at the International Space Station.
NASA and its global partners celebrated the milestone, as did the six astronauts on board. The U.S., Russian and Japanese spacemen planned a special dinner 250 miles up.
Commander Scott Kelly, seven months into a yearlong mission, said the biggest benefit of the orbiting lab is furthering long-term exploration goals deeper into space.
“The space station really is a bridge. It’s a test bed for the technologies that we need to develop and understand in order to have a successful trip to Mars,” American astronaut Kjell Lindgren noted during a news conference.
Since the first permanent crew moved in on Nov. 2, 2000, 220 people have come and gone, representing 17 countries.
The United States is in the lead because of all the space shuttle flights that were needed to deliver station pieces; Russia is in second place, and Canada and Japan tied for third. At least one American and one Russian have been on board at all times.
More than 26,500 meals have been dished up, according to NASA, and the complex has grown from three to 13 rooms since 2000. The current structure has a mass of nearly 1 million pounds and as much pressurized volume as a Boeing 747.
The most important experiment, Kelly said, is about keeping humans alive in space. His one-year mission with Russian Mikhail Kornienko, due to end in March, includes 400 experiments, many of them medical. Americans have never spent this long in space; the Russians have, but it was decades ago on the former Mir station.
NASA puts the number of experiments at this space station, over the years, at more than 1,760. At the same time, there have been 189 spacewalks to build and maintain the outpost since construction began in 1998; No. 190 will occur Friday when Kelly and Lindgren venture out for the second time in 1{ weeks.
As the space station ages, more maintenance will be required. NASA hopes to keep the complex running until 2024.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called Monday’s milestone “a remarkable moment 5,478 days in the making.”
“It has taught us about what’s possible when tens of thousands of people across 15 countries collaborate to advance shared goals,” Bolden said in a statement.
One sticking point, one to two decades ago, was a name for the place other than International Space Station _ ISS in NASA shorthand.
The original inhabitants _ American Bill Shepherd and Russians Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko _ christened their high-flying home Alpha when they arrived, but the name didn’t last. Kelly remembers wishing back then that the space station had a real name, but the various countries couldn’t agree on one.
“Now, it’s the `space station’ to me and I think it’s a great name,” Kelly told reporters. “The name `International Space Station’ really represents what it is. So in some ways, maybe it’s a better name.”
As for day-to-day life, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui said the space station has yielded a unique culture given all the nationalities involved, with the crew members respecting each other. If this were practiced back on the planet, he noted, “the Earth will be a much better place.” (AP)
