1A The End Of The International Space Station
Oct 22, 2025
Join John Horak, VP of research at The Ohio State University, and Terry Virts, former NASA astronaut, as they delve into the impending deorbit of the International Space Station in 2030. They discuss the ISS's rich history of international collaboration and groundbreaking scientific research. Horak outlines plans for commercial space stations and the challenges of privatizing space. Virts shares his personal experiences aboard the ISS, from adapting to microgravity to the emotional weight of its legacy, emphasizing its role in future lunar and Mars missions.
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ISS As Science Lab And Symbol
- The ISS is a continuously operating low‑Earth orbit laboratory that has flown for 25 years and inspires globally.
- John Horak frames it as both a scientific platform and an engineering monument to international cooperation.
Microgravity Reveals Hidden Physics
- The ISS lets researchers 'turn gravity down' to microgravity and reveal processes masked on Earth.
- John Horak calls that ability a unique experimental knob unavailable in any ground lab.
Pieces Met Only In Orbit
- John Horak plays archival audio of Zarya's Proton rocket liftoff to illustrate the station's piecemeal assembly.
- He highlights that station modules never met on the ground and were assembled in orbit over many launches.