Before it comes down, what should be saved from the International Space Station?
Preserving ISS heritage
What went up cannot all come down (for museum display).
Smithsonian curator Teasel Muir-Harmony (at left) moderates a panel on "Why Save ISS Heritage" with Jacob Keaton, NASA ISS acting director; Gabriel Swiney, director of the Office of Space Commerce's Policy, Advocacy and International Division; and NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen on May 21, 2026, in Washington, DC. Credit: AIAA/David Becker/PWHL
Humans do not just visit space; they live there, but a major part of that is coming to an end. The platform that made the longest continuous human presence in space possible is becoming history.
With NASA and its partners beginning preparations for the destructive end of the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as 2030, those who collect, curate, and study the station are now asking how to preserve the historic and culturally significant artifact, given that it is far too large and complex to...
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