Family Life

07.13.09 | FL News Team

Even while NASA tries to get Space Shuttle Endeavour off the ground with more parts for the International Space Station the agency is planning for the ISS' destruction. The International Space Station is very close to completion. It's the largest spacecraft ever built at 654-thousand pounds. The station is longer than a football field. It circles the Earth every 90 minutes. It's frequently visible as it travels over the U.S. Sometime in 2015, after only five years in orbit as a totally finished project, NASA will bring the six person crew home and get set to turn the assembly into a giant fireball a year later. The reason, Congress hasn't provided funding for the ISS beyond that time. The space agency is hoping it can change some minds over the next few years and find the money to keep the big expensive research station in orbit. At least one senator, Democrat Bill Nelson of Florida has said "if we've spent a hundred billion dollars, I don't think we want to shut it down in 2015.