Space Organizations Part 1: NASA - The International Space Station

In 1988 the U.S. and fifteen other nations embarked on a new space venture called the International Space Station (ISS). When the Soviet Union dissolved into numerous individual republics in 1991, the largest and most powerful, Russia, carried on the old Soviet space program under the new name of Rosaviakosmos. NASA and Rosaviakosmos collaborated throughout the 1990s to lead construction of an orbiting space station designed for prolonged inhabitation by scientists engaged in space research. They invited other countries to participate by contributing parts, components, and scientific facilities or sending researchers to the station.

Rosaviakosmos was anxious to play a major role in the ISS, but had even less funding than NASA. Both agencies struggled to put U.S. and Russian modules into place and keep them operational. The station was scaled back in size and capability numerous times due to budget crunches in both countries. The bulk of the heavy lifting required to put ISS modules into space was performed by space shuttles. The 2003 grounding of the fleet halted ISS construction. NASA continued to send astronauts to the ISS but they had to travel aboard Russian spacecraft to get there.