Node 1
Resource Node 1 (Unity), which was manufactured in the U.S., was the second element launched to the new station on December 4 1998. Unity is a connecting passageway to living and work areas of the International Space Station. It will provide storage space, berthing ports, and attachment points for other modules and the station's large truss. It is the first major U.S. built component of the station. On this Node that was brought up by the shuttle Endeavor on its 13 flight are two Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA's). The Russians and Americans have different standards on their modules, making a U.S. and Russian module incompatible. The PMA reconciles this difference between the hatch openings and connectors, making a connection possible. A similar PMA has already been taken into use on the Mir space station, permitting the U.S. shuttle to dock with the station.
The shuttle arm was first used to lift Unity out of the cargo bay and then latch it on top of the docking system in the cargo bay. It was then used to catch Zarya and dock it with PMA 1 on Unity, where it will be permanently latched. During the assembly of Unity, PMA 2 was connected to the shuttle docking system, enabling the crew to go inside Unity and Zarya. PMA2 will always be used for shuttle docking's. To join Zarya and Unity three spacewalks was needed.
Read about the shuttle mission and see pictures from it on my STS-88 page
Module information:
6,7 meter long, 4,26 meters in diameter.
Weighs 12,8 metric tons
Made in aluminum.
The Node contains 50.000 mechanical items,
216 lines which carry fluids and gases, and 121
internal and external electrical cables using 9,6 kilometers of wire.
After the station is finished the node's six ports will provide connecting points for the Z1 truss exterior framework, U.S. lab, airlock, cupola, Node 3 and FGB.
Related Info:
NASA | JSC
| Shuttle | Shuttle-Mir
| Mir
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