Space Station Links Up With Russian Control Module
The international space station linked up today with the Russian-made Zvezda control module, the component that will allow the first crew to live and work on the long-delayed station.
A large screen at Russia’s Mission Control showed the components coming together, then briefly lost contact with the station. Once it was clear that the linkup had been achieved, scientists at Mission Control applauded, shook hands with one another and gave each other thumbs-up signs.
The first crew is set to arrive at the international space station in October. But the space laboratory, a massive 16-nation project headed by the United States, will not be complete for another five years, after more than 40 space flights.
The docking occurred at 4:45 a.m. Moscow time (5:45 p.m. Tuesday PDT). Firing the Zvezda’s jets several times over the weekend, space controllers had brought the module into a stationary orbit and aligned the rest of the station for a smooth approach.
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