This 4,600 word monograph is illustrated with more than dozen never before published or rarely seen photographs. It is the next volume in the 50 years of manned space flight.
In 1982, with the successful completion of the four Space Shuttle orbiter flight tests, NASA began planning activity to define a possible space station. The station was viewed as the next logical step in space. It built on the nation’s past experience in space and provided, for the first time, the capability for permanent use of the space environment.
On January 1984, in his annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, President Ronald Reagan announced that “tonight, I am directing NASA to develop a permanently manned space station and to do it within the decade.” A few moments later, he added: “We want our friends to help us meet these challenges and share in their benefits. NASA will invite other countries to participate so we can strengthen peace, build prosperity, and expand freedom for all who share our goals.” This marked the birth of what is today the most complex scientific and technological project ever undertaken—the International Space Station.
