Awarded For The Greatest Achievement In Aviation Or
Astronautics In America
NASA's International Space Station
Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which is considered the
top award in aviation. The National Aeronautic Association in
Washington bestows the award annually to recognize the greatest
achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.
The association says it selected the station "for the design,
development, and assembly of the of the world's largest spacecraft,
an orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for mankind
and sets new standards for international cooperation in space."
"We are very proud to receive the Collier Trophy," NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said. "This prestigious award is a
testament to the dedication and hard work of thousands of people
around the world. With our intention to extend station operations
to at least 2020, there are limitless possibilities for science and
technological breakthroughs."
The station is a joint project of NASA, the Canadian Space
Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency. The orbiting
laboratory is nearing completion and will mark the tenth
anniversary of a continuous human presence in orbit later this
year. "We're honored to be recognized for our past achievements for
building and operating the space station, and we're excited about
the future," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for
NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate. "There's a new era
ahead of potential groundbreaking scientific research aboard the
station."
Congress designated the space station a national laboratory in
2005. The station provides a research platform that takes advantage
of the microgravity conditions 220 miles above Earth's surface
across a wide variety of fields. These include human life sciences,
biological science, human physiology, physical and materials
science, and Earth and space science.
After completion of assembly later this year, the station's crew
and its U.S., European, Japanese and Russian laboratory facilities
will expand the pace of space-based research to unprecedented
levels. Nearly 150 experiments are under way on the station. More
than 400 experiments have been conducted since research began nine
years ago. These experiments already are leading to advances in the
fight against food poisoning, new methods for delivering medicine
to cancer cells and the development of more capable engines and
materials for use on Earth and in space.
Supporting an international crew of six, the station has a mass
of almost 800,000 pounds and a habitable volume of more than 12,000
cubic feet. It is approximately the size of a five-bedroom home.
The station uses state-of-the-art systems to generate solar
electricity, recycle nearly 85 percent of its water and generate
much of its own oxygen. Nearly 190 people have visited the station,
which is supporting its 22nd resident crew.
The award will be formally presented to the International Space
Station Program team on May 13. The trophy is named for Robert J.
Collier, a publisher who commissioned it in 1910 with the intent to
encourage the U.S. aviation community to strive for excellence and
achievement in aeronautic development.