ISS is ten! Or close enough as the tradition of counting candles goes, ten fantastic years since the first elements were launched into orbit using slightly larger candles. Manning the station took a little while longer so Mir still holds the record for continuous human presence in space (a few days short of 10 years), but for those space exploration enthusiasts searching for optimism (or just another chance to celebrate whatever) this milestone is about as impressive as they come.

In fact it's coming up now on eleven years since the international partners signed the ISS agreements. In a world where it can be difficult for even two people to agree about what's for supper, the unprecedented cooperation required to design and sustain the station is remarkable despite setbacks with the shuttle and inevitable struggles with the hardware. Such things just don't happen every decade. Or at least up until now they haven't.

These days all partners are represented in a station grown so large the crew members can now get lost from one other (said only half in jest!). Corners must be checked so as not to bump into each other while traveling unfamiliar pathways. Entrepreneurial space pioneers quickly claimed the opportunity to pay through the nose for an unforgettable chance to pay a visit to the station. Overhead the crew of the shuttle Endeavour has docked and is at work installing the next amenities for expanded crew support, including (at long last) a refrigerator, new toilet, and water reclamation system. They also hope to restore the finicky starboard solar array that yet resists with a seemingly jinxed spirit.

Of course this routine can also pose a problem for captivating already cynical or apathetic public attention indecorously directed towards more sensationalist news. (Informed I was writing about "ISS" one of my children called back, "in school suspension?") However, as the engineering does become more routine the emphasis on science will gain focus, in a ratchet of technological advance that can take us beyond low earth orbit to stay.

We are at a crucial decision point regarding our future in space. To abandon all the work that has gone into this anniversary is inexcusable. Continued success requires a stream of the best and brightest people committing themselves to the vision. It's my hope some tiny fraction of the resources squandered - on the ground - for many of these last ten years will instead be distributed to developing a path for our future progress. Just think what the next ten will bring!