Orbiting Reflections
IN CONVERSATION WITH ASTRONAUT NICOLE STOTT
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Orbiting 254 miles above our planet, the International Space Station (ISS) has facilitated decades of scientific discovery and international collaboration.
Stationed 254 miles from Earth lies the orbiting science laboratory and astronaut base known as the International Space Station (ISS).
Beginning in late 1998 when the U.S. built “Unity node” and the Russian built “Zarya node” came together, the ISS would be an ongoing international construction project in orbit for the next decade.
Supporting the “Off the Earth, For the Earth” mission, the ISS provides a place for a plethora of international astronauts to conduct life-benefiting science experiments in microgravity. Experiments are done in many disciplines from life and physical sciences to technology development that would be difficult (or even impossible) to conduct on the ground.
Traveling at a speed of 5 Earthly miles per second (yes, you read that correctly) and orbiting the globe every 90 minutes, the ISS is larger than a 6 bedroom house with 6 sleeping quarters, 2 bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window - offering other-worldly views of planet Earth. It sounds like an extravagant vacation home, but these astronauts are hard at work spending about 35 hours each week conducting groundbreaking research.
Typically accommodating seven crew members for six-month durations, the space station allows for larger crews during changeover periods, with a peak of 13 individuals in 2009 and most recently hosting 11 in March 2024. Some astronauts have extended their stays to nearly a year to conduct long-term experiments, particularly to study the effects of microgravity on the human body.
These extended experiments are crucial for advancing our knowledge on sustaining human presence in space for extended durations, a key step towards establishing lunar bases and infrastructure.
The ISS has had at least one astronaut on board since November 2000, and has stationed a wide range of astronauts in terms of nationality, culture, race, gender, and expertise. Although the “principals” of the ISS are the U.S., Russian, European, Japanese, and Canadian space agencies, it has been maintained and operated by 15 countries, and visited by over 222 people from 18 countries, making it a symbol of international cooperation and unity. Astronauts who have visited the space station have experienced this unity first hand, setting aside political and cultural difference to work together in navigating the many challenges in space.
To learn more about life on the ISS, I spoke with American astronaut Nicole Stott. Retiring in 2015, Nicole has logged over 100 days in space over her 27 year career. We discussed a variety of topics, including how astronauts work together amidst political tensions and cultural divides on Earth, as well as her experience being a woman in a field dominated by men, and how unsurprisingly, she never felt out of place.
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(S3S) Since the start of the ISS in 1998 with the partnership between Russia and the U.S., there have been multiple international wars, social justice uprisings, political shifts, and other international conflict. Even currently, we are in a lot of political turmoil right now with multiple international wars going on and important presidential elections. How have astronauts aboard the ISS continued to set aside political divides in space for over 20 years?
(Stott) I wish I knew what the secret sauce is. We’ve had this orbiting machine, the ISS, in space for over 25 years where crews representing 5 international space agencies and 15 different countries have somehow deliberately managed to operate together peacefully and successfully on this place in space.
It’s incredible!
This history of peaceful cooperation in space goes way back to even Apollo – a program that was born from a “Space Race”. Even though it was the United States who staked the flag in the surface of the Moon, these missions were about humanity, and every astronaut who flew in space presented it that way.
If you think about it, most, if not all, space milestones are spoken about in ways that are celebrated as humanity’s achievements, not just the achievement of a single place on the planet.
One of the greatest examples of international cooperation in space, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program (ASTP, read page 16), is one that actually set the stage for the many instances throughout space history where countries have united over a shared goal and that led to continued international cooperation in space – including for the ISS.
It was very sad when NASA astronaut Tom Stafford passed away (in March 2024). Stafford was the U.S. commander on the ASTP mission where he and Soviet cosmonaut commander Alexei Leonov docked their orbiting spacecraft and shared that iconic handshake across their opened hatches. A handshake that to this day signifies long-term cooperation in space.
Tom and Alexei became life-long best friends. They carried that handshake forward in their own lives and our space programs continue to champion what that handshake symbolized for us all.
You often refer to the ISS as a “masterpiece”, claiming it is an incredible achievement politically, culturally, and technologically. Can you elaborate on that?
Creating a large, Earth-orbiting laboratory in space is not an easy feat – especially when you have to create it as a life support system that mimics as best we can what Earth does for us naturally. And when you think about it from a political, cultural, just basic human-being standpoint and the partnerships that had to be in place to make that happen – it’s really extraordinary.
(In 1988 the initial 13 countries came together on the design, development, operation, and utilization of the ISS by creating the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Space Station Cooperation. A decade later, they agreed to include Russia in the partnership, bringing the agreement to 15 countries. Ten months following the modified IGA, the Russians and the U.S. launched their respective modules where they would be united in orbit, marking the first assembly of the station. Over the next 13 years, countries have sent additional modules and 200 astronauts to continue construction, until its completion in 2011.)
From the beginning, all partners committed to the “Off the Earth, for the Earth” mission of the ISS, and agreed on how they would make it happen together. I don’t know of anything else like it.
Culturally, and in all the other ways, we established the rules of engagement for how we were going to behave with each other and solve the problems that would inevitably come up along the way. And we had to purposely, deliberately, and diligently think about that - you know - ‘how are we going to do this?’
And the same thing was true with how we were going to build the space station. Everyone had to agree on the standards of the technical construction, for example, ‘when two things come together, this is going to be the way they stick together.’
These were really complex pieces of machinery that we were attaching to each other in space, built by different countries...and it was a rarity to get to space and try to attach two things together for the space station and have it not work. That’s pretty incredible.
But if they didn’t work, we already knew how we were going to work together to overcome those challenges. Even if we didn’t know the exact solution at the time, we already had the ways in place of how we would work with each other to make sure that we got it right. That’s pretty cool. The ISS is a masterpiece in space (and it is also the best example of living off the grid that you can find!)
During the STS-128 mission in 2009, you were part of a seven-person crew aboard the NASA Space Shuttle, and upon reaching the ISS, you joined a crew of thirteen. Did you ever sense being the sole woman, or did it feel more like being one astronaut among thirteen, collectively working toward a common goal?
I honestly never really thought being the only woman, or even being a woman, doing these things, unless somebody asked me about it. I never felt like my crew members were thinking, ‘Oh, here comes Nicole. She’s the woman on the crew.’ Nor did I feel like any of my trainers felt that way.
I’ll tell you I did wonder a little bit though about what it would be like going to Russia to Star City to train. I knew that the instructors were going to be some of the same older gentlemen that had even trained Gagarin. I was given a, thankfully unjustified, impression about what the male Russian thoughts might be on women doing things like training to be an astronaut.
And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to get over there and it’s going to be so difficult.’ And it absolutely was not. They were just the same as anywhere else. They were looking to say, ‘Is Nicole going to be prepared and come to this class? Is she going to do her best and succeed at this? Is she going to become part of the crew? All of the things they were looking for in anybody who was training.
They may have wanted to hold the door for me or carry my bag. And I was like, ‘You go for it! I’m happy for you to do that!’ But I never got any sense of, ‘Oh, here comes Nicole, a woman, into our class.’
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I will tell you though, the only place I had any sense of being judged differently during astronaut training because I’m a woman, was spacewalk training. There was this blatant, predisposition that women just are not going to be as good at spacewalking.
When in fact it really had more to do with women not being supplied with the right equipment, even though that equipment was available.
The small suits and other equipment that would fit us were available for NASA to supply, but for whatever reason they chose not to supply them. Pretty impressive when you think about the success the smaller women have had in suits that were too big.
Why did they not buy smaller suits?
I think it was justified as an overall cost thing. At the time the bulk of the people in the office were men and it really wasn’t thought that there were going to be a whole lot of women astronauts. I guess they were thinking that they could afford to not supply the smaller suits.
In fact, the thing that’s wonderful is that we can say ‘Hey, look at the women who’ve performed spacewalks.’ I’m happy to be one of them. And further, look at how successful they have been - even in suits that were technically too big for them.
So, I’m like, ‘High five. Look at what we can do!’ Imagine what we’ll do when we have the proper fitting suits!
END OF INTERVIEW
Nicole Marie Passonno Stott, a retired NASA astronaut and engineer, has had a remarkable 27-year career marked by significant achievements. She served as a flight engineer on ISS Expeditions 20 and 21, as well as a mission specialist on STS-128 and STS-133. Nicole's contributions extended to overseeing the construction of critical components for the ISS as the NASA Project Lead for Space Station truss elements. Her expertise facilitated international collaboration and scientific research aboard the ISS. Throughout her tenure, she conducted experiments focusing on microgravity physics and chemistry, contributing to astronaut safety during launch. Since retiring from NASA in 2015, Nicole remains active in various endeavors, including art, philanthropy, public speaking, and travel, continuing to inspire others in space exploration and scientific inquiry.
What’s Next for the ISS?
s the International Space Station (ISS) continues its orbit around Earth, approaching its third decade since the beginning of construction, the question of its future is contemplated.
In recent years, questions about the ISS’s lifespan have intensified, with concerns about aging infrastructure, escalating operational costs, and the need for modernization in the face of a rapidly evolving space economy.
As private companies enter the space industry and commercial activities in low Earth orbit (LEO) ramp up, there is growing pressure to ensure that the aging ISS remains relevant and capable of supporting emerging needs and technologies. As a result, space agencies around the world are considering the possibility of transitioning from the ISS to new platforms that can better accommodate the new era of space exploration.
NASA’s transition plan for the ISS outlines a strategic roadmap for the station’s future, beyond its current operational phase. The agency aims to transition from direct government funding to a model that involves increased commercial and international partnerships, synonymous with the commercialization of all other aspects of the space industry.
While specific timelines for the cessation of ISS operations have not been set in stone, NASA envisions transitioning to the next phase of space exploration by the end of the decade. This transition will involve gradually reducing government funding for ISS operations while fostering the growth of commercial activities and international collaboration in LEO.
So, what comes after the ISS? The answer is a multitude of space stations.
As NASA’s Artemis program prepares to return humans to the Moon, astronauts will need an outpost to serve as a staging point for crewed missions from the Moon and beyond.
Introducing, Gateway - humanity’s first space station around the Moon.
NASA’s plan for Gateway represents a fundamental shift in how humans will operate in space. Unlike the ISS, which orbits Earth, Gateway will orbit the Moon, providing a strategic vantage point for exploring the lunar surface and beyond.
And continuing the ISS’s theme of collaboration, this lunar orbiting space station will continue its legacy by serving as a hub for international collaboration, with NASA partnering with other space agencies, including the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), among others in the construction, use, and maintenance.
As of March 2024, there is no set timeline for the closure of the ISS. Discussions regarding the retirement of the ISS are ongoing, and plans for the transition are still being developed and evaluated by space agencies and stakeholders.
As we have seen in space exploration’s past: each end of an era leaves room for a new one. This one to be characterized by increased commercialization, international cooperation, and bold ambitions to explore further into space.
