This photograph, taken during the STS-88 mission, shows the connected Unity Module or Node 1 and Zarya or the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) after having been released from the Orbiter Endeavour’s cargo bay. The Unity (also called Node 1), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS), is a six-sided connector to which all future U.S. Station modules will attach. It was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity Module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
|
To the Top
