While it is the astronauts that get the glory, there are more than enough heroes building the International Space Station behind the scenes. So far 16 countries, and more than 100,000 people from space agencies and contractors, are designing and constructing the orbital outpost.

Heres a look at a few of the people taking ideas from the drawing board to reality:

Charlene Curtis says one of the perks of her job is getting to meet the celebrities that visit Johnson Space Center (JSC). President Clinton, Queen Elizabeth, Don Johnson and Kevin Costner are just a few of the luminaries she has met.

Charlene Curtis

She was even an extra in the movie Armageddon.

"I got cut though. I spent the entire day with the camera crew, went through make up, wardrobe and then waited around for the call," she said of moviemaking. "All we did was run down the hall and it took hours."

Away from work, Curtis takes care of her two children and likes to bowl.