The Station also symbolizes our nation's desire to cooperate with others in mutually beneficial civil space activities. Canada, the European Space Agency, and Japan have already responded positively to the U.S. invitation to participate in the development of the Station. Formal agreements are being negotiated and are near completion. If the negotiations are successful, their involvement will lead to unprecedented international cooperation, toward the peaceful exploration and utilization of the space environment. A detailed survey of the technical community showed that five types of experiments would most likely be performed on the Space Station.
Electricity is essential to supporting human life in space.
It allows a multitude of systems on board Space Station to operate, support, and produce. Whether electricity is used to power life support systems, to run a furnace making crystals, to manage a computerized data distribution system, or to operate a centrifuge, electricity is the key. The more electricity available, the more work possible, and the more flexible the entire array of Space Station activities becomes. Page 2 Adequate power allows a crew, in orbit, and a variety of researchers, using telescience capabilities from the ground, the opportunity to make instantaneous observations and responses. In a severely power-constrained environment, flexibility and spontaneity are diminished.