Information about Assembly Of The International Space Station
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The assembly of the International Space Station is a major aerospace engineering endeavor currently being conducted in low-Earth orbit by a consortium of governmental and inter-governmental space agencies. When assembly is complete the International Space Station (ISS) will be have a pressurized volume of approximately 1,000 cubic meters.
Zarya, the first ISS module, was launched by a Proton rocket in November 1998. The STS-88 shuttle mission followed two weeks after Zarya was launched, bringing Unity, the first of three node modules, and connecting it to Zarya. This bare 2-module core of the ISS remained unmanned for the next one and a half years, until in July 2000 the Russian module Zvezda was added, allowing a minimum crew of two astronauts or cosmonauts to be on the ISS permanently. Since 2000, the only main pressurized module delivered to the ISS was the Destiny Laboratory Module by STS-98 in 2001.
When assembly is complete, the ISS will have a pressurized volume of approximately 1,000 cubic meters, a mass of approximately 400,000 kilograms, approximately 100 kilowatts of power output, a truss 108.4 meters long, modules 74 meters long, and a crew of six. Building the complete station will require more than 40 assembly flights. Of these flights, currently 33 are planned to be Space Shuttle flights, with 21 ISS-shuttle flights currently flown and 13 more planned between 2007 and 2010. Other assembly flights consist of modules lifted by the Russian Proton rocket or in the case of the Pirs Airlock by a Soyuz rocket.
In addition to the assembly and utilization flights, approximately 30 Progress spacecraft flights are required to provide logistics until 2010. Experimental equipment, fuel and consumables are and will be delivered by all vehicles visiting the ISS: the Shuttle, the Russian Progress, the European ATV (prospectively from January 2008 onwards) and the Japanese HTV.
The space station is located in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of approximately 360 km (220 miles), a type of orbit usually termed low Earth orbit (the actual height varies over time by several kilometers due to atmospheric drag and re-boosts). It orbits Earth in a period of about 90 minutes; by August 2007 it had completed more than 50,000 orbits since launch of Zarya on November 20 1998.
The ISS, when completed, will be essentially made of a set of communicating pressurized modules connected to a truss, on which four large pairs of photovoltaic modules (solar panels) are attached. The pressurized modules and the truss will be perpendicular: the truss spanning from starboard to port and the habitable zone extending on the aft-forward axis. Although during the construction the station attitude may vary, when all four photovoltaic modules are in their definitive position the aft-forward axis will be parallel to the velocity vector.[1]
A total of 10 main pressurized modules (Zarya, Zvezda, Destiny, Unity (previously called Node 1), Harmony (previously called Node 2), Node 3, Columbus, Kibo, the MLM and the RM) are currently scheduled to be part of the ISS by its completion date in 2010.[2] A number of smaller pressurized sections will be adjunct to them (Soyuz spacecrafts (permanently 2 as lifeboats - 6 months rotations), Progress transporters (2 or more), the Quest and Pirs airlocks, as well as periodically the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, the Automated Transfer Vehicle and the H-II Transfer Vehicle).
Columbia disaster and changes in construction plans
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Columbia lifting off on its final mission.
Disaster and consequences
At one point, there was some uncertainty over the future of the ISS. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on February 1 2003, the subsequent two and a half year suspension of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, followed by problems with resuming flight operations in 2005, were major obstacles.The Space Shuttle program resumed flight on July 26 2005, with the STS-114 mission of Discovery. This mission to the ISS was intended both to test new safety measures implemented since the Columbia disaster, and to deliver supplies to the station. Although the mission succeeded safely, it was not without risk; foam was shed by the external tank, leading NASA to announce future missions would be grounded until this issue was resolved.
Between the Columbia disaster and the resumption of Shuttle launches, crew exchanges were carried out solely using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Starting with Expedition 7, two-astronaut caretaker crews were launched in contrast to the previously launched crews of three. Because the ISS had not been visited by a shuttle for an extended period, a larger than planned amount of waste accumulated, temporarily hindering station operations in 2004. However Progress transports and the STS-114 shuttle flight took care of this problem.
Changes in construction plans
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Upgrading the International Space Station over New Zealand.
ISS construction is now far behind the original planned schedule for completion in 2004 or 2005. This is mainly due to the halting of all NASA Shuttle flights following the Columbia disaster in early 2003 (although there had been prior delays due partly to Shuttle problems, and partly to delays stemming from the Russian space agency's budget constraints). During the shuttle stand-down, construction of the ISS was halted and the science conducted aboard was limited due to the crew size of two.
As of the beginning of 2006, many changes were made to the originally planned ISS, even before the Columbia disaster. Modules and other structures were cancelled or replaced and the number of Shuttle flights to the ISS was reduced from previously planned numbers. Still, the newest ISS Shuttle launch manifest and the current ISS design scheme reveal that more than 80% of the hardware intended to be part of the ISS in the late 90s is still planned to be orbited to the ISS by its scheduled completion date in 2010.
In March 2006, a meeting of the heads of the five participating space agencies accepted the new ISS construction schedule that plans to complete the ISS by 2010.[3] A crew of six is expected to be established in 2009, after the Shuttle's next 12 construction flights following the second Return to Flight mission STS-121. Requirements for stepping up the crew size include enhanced environmental support on the ISS, a second Soyuz permanently docked on the station to function as a second 'lifeboat', more frequent Progress flights to provide double the amount of consumables, more fuel for orbit raising maneuvers, and a sufficient supply line of experimental equipment.
Current assembled components
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Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev inside the Zvezda Service Module, November 2000.
The ISS currently consists of four main pressurized modules: two Russian modules Zarya and Zvezda, and two US modules Destiny and Unity. Other pressurized sections of the current configuration are the Quest Joint Airlock and the Pirs docking compartment. Spacecraft docked to the ISS also extend the pressurized volume. At least one Soyuz spacecraft is always docked as a 'lifeboat' and is replaced every six months by a new Soyuz as part of crew rotation.
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March 10 2001 - The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module rests in Discovery's payload bay during STS-102.
As of August 2007 the station consists of several modules and elements:
*P6 Truss to be relocated to its final position, the P5 truss mounting position, on STS-120.Components to be launched
Nearly all already built pressurized modules are planned to be launched by the Space Shuttle. By the time the ISS is completed in 2010, it will have, in addition to the modules already in orbit:
An artist's impression of The International Space Station's final configuration following the arrival on-orbit of all its planned components.- Two more node modules (Harmony and Node 3).
- Three more laboratory modules (The Columbus Laboratory Module, Japanese Experiment Module and Multipurpose Laboratory Modules).
- A cupola.
- A Docking Cargo Module to assist in the docking of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft to the station.
Cancelled modules
- Centrifuge Accommodations Module - would have been attached to Node 2, now named Harmony
- Universal Docking Module - replaced by Multipurpose Laboratory Module
- Docking and Stowage Module - replaced by Multipurpose Laboratory Module
- Habitation Module [7]
- Crew Return Vehicle (CRV)
- Interim Control Module - no need to replace Zvezda (in storage ready to launch at short notice if required)
- ISS Propulsion Module - no need to replace Zvezda
- Science Power Platform - power will be provided to the Russian segments partly by the US solar cell platforms
- Russian Research Module - Replaced by Docking Cargo Module (DCM)
References
1. ^ What are the ISS attitudes? (Flash) (English). NASA. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
2. ^ NASA - Consolidated Launch Manifest (English). NASA. Retrieved on 2006-07-15.
3. ^ flightglobal.com NASA commits to Shuttle missions to International Space Station. International Space Station. FlightGlobal (3 March 2006). Retrieved on 16 September, 2006.
4. ^ P6 Integrated Truss Structure, NASA Human Spaceflight
5. ^ STS-116 Press Kit, NASA, page 72
6. ^ STS-117 Press Kit, NASA
7. ^ With the cancellation of the Habitations Module, sleeping places are now spread throughout the station. There will be three in the Russian segment once the ISS is completed and three in the US segment. It is however not necessary to have a separate 'bunk' in space at all, many visitors just strap their sleeping bag to the wall of a module, get into it and sleep.
Components of the International Space StationIn orbit 
Launched periodically Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Scheduled for Shuttle Harmony (Node 2) Columbus Kibō SPDM Node 3 Cupola Docking Cargo Module ExPRESS Logistics Carriers (Total 5)Scheduled for Proton Multipurpose Laboratory Module European Robotic Arm Other subsystems Canceled or unused Support craft See also ISS assembly Assembly sequence Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km. Given the rapid orbital decay of objects below approximately 200 km, the commonly accepted definition for LEO is between 200 - 2000 km
..... Click the link for more information.International Space Station (ISS) is a research facility currently being assembled in space. The building of ISS started in 1998. The station is in a low Earth orbit and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye: its altitude varies from 319.6 km to 346.
..... Click the link for more information.Zarya (Russian: Заря́; lit. dawn), also known as the Functional Cargo Block or the FGB (the Russian acronym for "
..... Click the link for more information.This article contains information regarding a rocket or spacecraft which is either currently in the process of launching, or is scheduled to launch within the next 6 days.
Details may change as the countdown and ascent progress.
..... Click the link for more information.STS-88
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name: STS-88
Shuttle: Endeavour
Launch pad: 39-A
Launch: December 4, 1998 3:35:34 a.m.
..... Click the link for more information.The Unity connecting module was the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station. It is cylindrical in shape, with six berthing locations (forward, aft, port, starboard, zenith, and nadir) facilitating connections to other modules. Unity measures 4.
..... Click the link for more information.Zvezda (Russian: Звезда, meaning "star"), DOS-8, also known as the Zvezda Service Module, is a component of the International Space Station (ISS).
..... Click the link for more information.Destiny Laboratory Module is the primary research laboratory for U.S. payloads aboard the International Space Station. It was berthed to the Unity Module and activated over a period of five days in early February 2001.
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Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name: STS-98
Shuttle: Atlantis
Launch pad: 39-A
Launch: February 7, 2001, 6:13 p.m. EST
Landing: February 20, 2001, 3:33 p.
..... Click the link for more information.This article contains information regarding a rocket or spacecraft which is either currently in the process of launching, or is scheduled to launch within the next 6 days.
Details may change as the countdown and ascent progress.
..... Click the link for more information.Pirs docking compartment is a Russian module of the International Space Station (ISS). Pirs (Russian: Пирс
..... Click the link for more information.Soyuz launch vehicle (Western designation: A-2) is an expendable launch system manufactured by TsSKB-Progress in Samara, Russia. It is used as the launcher for the manned Soyuz spacecraft as part of the Soyuz program.
..... Click the link for more information.The Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer [1]
..... Click the link for more information.Automated Transfer Vehicle or ATV is an unmanned resupply spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency (ESA)[1]. ATVs are designed to supply the International Space Station with propellant, water, air, payload and experiments.
..... Click the link for more information.The H-II Transfer Vehicle, or HTV, is a robotic spacecraft intended to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station, and the rest of the station, if need be.
..... Click the link for more information.space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. So far only low earth orbit (LEO) stations are implemented, also known as orbital stations.
..... Click the link for more information.ORBit is a CORBA compliant Object Request Broker (ORB). The current version is called ORBit2 and is compliant with CORBA version 2.4. It is developed under the GPL license and is used as middleware for the GNOME project.
..... Click the link for more information.EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001. Their greatest hit, their debut single "time after time", peaked at #13 in the Oricon singles chart.
..... Click the link for more information.1 kilometre =A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer, symbol km
SI units
0 m 0106 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 mi
..... Click the link for more information.Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km. Given the rapid orbital decay of objects below approximately 200 km, the commonly accepted definition for LEO is between 200 - 2000 km
..... Click the link for more information.drag (sometimes called resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a solid object through a fluid (a liquid or gas). Drag is made up of friction forces, which act in a direction parallel to the object's surface (primarily along its sides, as friction forces at the
..... Click the link for more information.The orbital period is the time taken for a planet (or another object) to make one complete orbit.
When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.
..... Click the link for more information.November 20 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.Events
- 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor.
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1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1995 1996 1997 - 1998 - 1999 2000 2001
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII
..... Click the link for more information.Integrated Truss Structure forms the backbone of the International Space Station, with mountings for unpressurized logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, and other equipment.
..... Click the link for more information.Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is a solar power technology that uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun directly into electricity.
..... Click the link for more information.Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board the ship and facing the bow (front).Overview
The origin of the term comes from old boating practices.
..... Click the link for more information.Port is the nautical term (used on boats and ships) that refers to the left side of a ship, as perceived by a person on board the ship and facing towards the bow (the front of the vessel). The terms are also used for aircraft, spacecraft, and analogous vessels.
..... Click the link for more information.AFT is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:- American Farmland Trust
- Adiabatic flame temperature
- American Federation of Teachers
- Authenticated firewall traversal, in version 5 of SOCKS, an Internet protocol
- Americans For Fair Taxation
..... Click the link for more information.Attitude control is control of the orientation of a spacecraft, or other flight vehicle, either relative to the celestial sphere or to a gravitating body influencing its flight path.
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