Space Foundation Comments on International Space Station Mission Extension

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  (Jan. 8, 2014) – The Space Foundation issued a statement today regarding extension of the International Space Station mission. Media has reported that NASA plans to announce White House approval to extend the mission by four years until 2024. In anticipation of that announcement, the Space Foundation released this comment:

“The Space Foundation strongly supports the decision to extend the ISS mission to 2024, and congratulates NASA and the White House for stepping out smartly to make it so,” said Space Foundation CEO Elliot H. Pulham. “The ISS is the signature space investment of this generation, and a key building block for Pioneering the rest of our solar system,” Pulham said.  “While 2024 seems a distant horizon, it was important to take this decision now, in order to preserve all best options for continuing ISS operations well into the future. We urge Congress to follow the administration’s lead and authorize and fully fund such an extension.”

About the Space Foundation
Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is the foremost advocate for all sectors of space, and is a global, nonprofit leader in space awareness activities, educational programs and major industry events, including the annual Space Symposium, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity.” Space Foundation world headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., features a public Discovery Center including the El Pomar Space Gallery and the Northrop Grumman Science Center featuring Science On a Sphere®, and is a member of the American Alliance of Museums. The Space Foundation has a field office in Houston, and from its Washington, D.C., office, conducts government affairs, publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indexes that track daily U.S. stock market performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification™ and Space Technology Hall of Fame® programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. Visit www.SpaceFoundation.org, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and read our e-newsletter Space Watch.