ABSTRACT
Designed and built under agreements among the US, Russian, Canadian, Japanese, and European space agencies, International Space Station (ISS) has been continually inhabited since November, 2000. Adaptability makes ISS a valuable laboratory for "post-occupancy evaluation" of a spaceflight habitat and habitation systems. The pressurized human-habitable modules of ISS have hatches at each connection point that allow isolation of a module in the event of an emergency – i.e., depressurization, fire, or toxic spill. ISS is a major contributor to our understanding of how to live and work in space for extended periods of time, including not only advances in the mechanics of keeping humans aloft and alive, but advanced understanding of the very real challenges of keeping humans healthy, productive, and reasonably happy in contained environments. The vehicle operates in an extremely hostile environment, and carries its own self-sufficient, atmospherically-pressurized volume to support the lives of its crew.
