International Space Station life 'to be extended'

Construction of the ISS began in 1998 and is a joint venture between the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and states in the European Space Agency (Esa). These partners will have to support any extension for it to be implemented. Their current commitments run to 2020, but many engineers believe the station could work safely until at least 2028. Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator at Nasa with responsibility for the station, told reporters that it was feasible to continue operating the ISS if some partners decided not to stay on board, but added that he expected them all to come through, even if the agreements took a few years to put in place: "I think the idea is that 10 years from today is a pretty far-reaching, pretty strategic decision," he said. More

(Source: BBC News - Jan 9)