The five partner-agencies that jointly operate the International Space Station say they are eager to use the facility as a stepping-stone for lunar and Martian exploration, but they first must find a way to sustain operations beyond the present partnership agreement. Agency heads meeting at European Space Agency headquarters in Paris last week agreed to use the ISS to its full capacity "for a period meaningful for stakeholders and users," affirming that continuation of operations beyond 2015 - the end of the period covered by ISS intergovernmental agreements - "would not be precluded by any significant technical challenges." They also agreed that the newly expanded capability of the ISS will make it an ideal "testbed for flight systems and operations critical to future space exploration initiatives." ESA head Jean-Jacques...
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