3.2 Coordination: ISS Lunar Working Group (ISS-LWG)

Currently, no program exists within the ISS framework that is dedicated to the Moon. To most effectively realise all these potential uses of the ISS for a lunar program, we recommend a working group dedicated to coordinating the Moon-tended activities on the ISS. This should be an interdisciplinary and international commission that may be called the "ISS Lunar Working Group". ISS-LWG could be a parallel working group to existing groups like the International Space Life Sciences Working Group (ISLSWG; 2003) and the International Microgravity Strategic Planning Group (IMSPG; 2003). This group can include members from non-ISS states to expand the participation to a global level.

The ISS-LWG objectives should be:

• To coordinate all the potential uses of the ISS toward lunar exploration
• To inform the global community about the ISS as a stepping-stone to the Moon
• To host international student research participation program for research on the ISS related to the Moon
• To establish a forum and mechanism for the communication and coordination of activities

The initiation of this group could use the support of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG; 2003), dedicated to "developing an international strategy for the exploration of the Moon".