December 4, 1998 - The International Space Station receives the first module assembled by the United States

Unity was assembled with Zarya that was launched into space on November 20, 1998 before.

International Space Station receives the first module Unity

Unity - meaning Solidarity in English - became the second module of the International Space Station ISS to fly to space on December 4, 1998, this is the first module completely assembled by engineers. USA. This module is a compartment for connecting different areas of the ISS station with 6 connection ports on its 6 different sides.

Unity was built and assembled by Boeing in a manufacturing facility at the Marshall Space Flight Command Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This is the first connection module of the three connected ISS modules. Carryed into orbit by the shuttle Endeavor in the STS-88 mission , Unity was assembled with Zarya that was launched into space on November 20, 1998 before. STS-88 is also the first shuttle flight involved in the assembly of the ISS station.

Unity lays the foundation for all US modules on the station with 6 connection ports, each on each side. In it, a port to connect with Zarya, the remaining ports to connect with US components and modules on the station such as Destiny laboratory, Node 3, Quest Joint Airlock, Z1 rig. Important resources on space stations such as liquids, life support and environmental control systems, electrical systems and data are passed through Unity to serve work and living areas on the station. .

Unity successfully connects with Zarya.

The module also has another technical name, Node 1 , which is 5.5 meters long and 4.6 meters in diameter. Basically, Node 1 is slightly smaller in size than Node 2 and Node 3, two modules with similar functions are assembled into the latter station. Unity is made of aluminum with more than 50,000 mechanical devices, 216 liquid and gas transmission lines, and 121 internal and external power cables using about 9.7 km of installed lines. in Unity. In addition, two conical docking adapters were also fitted to each end of Unity before it was launched on Endeavor.

These devices, called pressurized mating adapters (PMA), allow the system to be connected by shuttle as well as Russian modules assembled into doors as well as structures. berthing mechanism of Node 1. One of the upper cone devices is used to bind Unity to Zarya while the other is used as a "docking port" for the shuttle. Unity along with the above two connected devices are about 11m long and weigh about 11 tons. External mounting of connected devices between Unity and Zarya are computers, modulators - demultiplexer that provide initial command and control of Unity.