NASA.gov
It has been a busy year of research aboard the International Space Station. In November, we celebrated the 20th year of continuous human presence aboard the space station, which so far has hosted 242 people and more than 3,000 science experiments. During the past year, research has ranged from growing radishes in microgravity to capturing 360-degree footage of life aboard station to monitoring our planet. This research benefits people on Earth while helping prepare us to explore farther into space.
More about this story is linked here.
How I See It 
Fascinating stuff!
Quite a different work environment.
Uplifting!
Happy New Year, Jim
Thank you. I hope your year is interesting and peaceful.
I want to go there.
I applied, along with 40,000 others, to be the Teacher In Space back in the shuttle era. Still have a copy of my application.
I sure would love the opportunity to ‘peek’ out the window of the ISS! Talk about a transforming view!
I agree. The thought of going outside for a spacewalk would challenge me. Would one feel like they are going to fall? I guess being hooked with a retractable cable would make it feel more secure.
Very interesting video. Maybe I’m just watching more, but it seems like space exploration is ‘taking off’ (excuse the pun), now with private companies becoming involved. I am still not sure how I feel about it all.
I think there is more exploration. Much of it is done with smart technologies instead of humans. It is cheaper and safer. I read several years ago that for each dollar spent on space research and development, it returned 7 dollars to the public in new technologies and devices to make our lives better. Of course, one could argue what is meant by ‘better’. My point is that research has payback in the long run.
Space research and exploration is important for many reasons, including the ones you mentioned. I worry we haven’t learned anything from our treatment of the world we stand on. It seems we are heading off to get things done, damn the cost. Space X satellites are an example, they are pollution, not just to our eye, it is said in the future, half the stars we see in the early part of the night will be ‘moving’, but also they will eventually become space junk. It is argued the space around earth is vast, Canadians also thought that about many large rivers in the 1800’s before we polluted them to the detriment of the greater environment and all living things. Whenever I think of Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster travelling through space I am reminded of what a brilliant but arrogant species we are, and that we may be finally undone by our never-ending hubris.
I won’t disagree with you about those things.