The process of assembling the International Space Station (ISS) has been under way since the 1990s. Zarya , the first ISS module, was launched by a Proton rocket on 20 November 1998. The STS-88 Space 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 uncrewed for the next one and a half years, until in July 2000 the Russian module Zvezda was launched by a Proton rocket, allowing a maximum crew of three astronauts or cosmonauts to be on the ISS permanently.
The ISS has a pressurized volume of approximately 1,000 cubic metres (35,000 cu ft), a mass of approximately 410,000 kilograms (900,000 lb), approximately 100 kilowatts of power output, a truss 108.4 metres (356 ft) long, modules 74 metres (243 ft) long, and a crew of seven. [1] Building the complete station required more than 40 assembly flights. As of 2020, 36 Space Shuttle flights delivered ISS elements. Other assembly flights consisted of modules lifted by the Falcon 9, Russian Proton rocket or, in the case of Pirs and Poisk , the Soyuz-U rocket.
Some of the larger modules include:
The space station is located in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of approximately 410 km (250 mi), a type of orbit usually termed low Earth orbit (the actual height varies over time by several kilometers due to atmospheric drag and reboosts). 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 20 November 1998.
A total of 14 main pressurized modules were 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 spacecraft (permanently 2 as lifeboats – 6 months rotations), Progress transporters (2 or more), the Quest and Pirs airlocks, as well as periodically the H-II Transfer Vehicle).
The US Orbital Segment was completed in 2011 after the installation of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer during the STS-134 mission. The Russian Orbital Segment assembly has been on an indefinite hiatus since the installation of the Rassvet module in 2010 during the STS-132 mission. The Rassvet module on the ISS right now was originally supposed to be the on-ground dynamic testing mock-up of the now-cancelled Science Power Platform. The Nauka science laboratory module contains new crew quarters, life support equipment that can produce oxygen and water, and a new galley. The Nauka was originally supposed to be delivered to the ISS in 2007 but cost overruns and quality control problems delayed it for over a decade. The Nauka module finally launched in July 2021 and docked to the nadir port of Zvezda module after several days of free flight [3] followed by the Prichal which launched on 24 November 2021.
There are plans to add 2 or 3 more modules that would attach to Prichal during the mid-2020s. Adding more Russian modules will help the Zvezda module greatly because Zvezda's originally installed central command computers no longer work (three ThinkPad laptops are now the Zvezda's central command computers) and its Elektron oxygen generators are not replaceable and failed again for a short time in 2020 after multiple malfunctions throughout their history. [4] In Russian modules all the hardware is launched with the equipment permanently installed. It is impossible to replace hardware like in the US Orbital Segment with its very wide 51 inch (105 cm) hatch openings between modules. This potential problem with the Zvezda was made apparent when in October 2020 the toilet, oven, and Elektron all malfunctioned at the same time and the cosmonauts onboard had to make emergency repairs. [5]
The ISS, when completed, will consist 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 are 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. [6]
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 SpaceX Dragon, the Russian Progress, the European ATV and the Japanese HTV, and space station downmass will be carried back to Earth facilities on the Dragon. [7]
After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on 1 February 2003, there was some uncertainty over the future of the ISS. 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.[ citation needed ]
The Space Shuttle program resumed flight on 26 July 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 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.[ citation needed ]
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.[ citation needed ]
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. However, more than 80% of the hardware intended to be part of the ISS in the late 1990s was orbited and is now part of the ISS's configuration.[ citation needed ]
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, adding to earlier delays due to Shuttle problems and the Russian space agency's budget constraints.[ citation needed ]
In March 2006, a meeting of the heads of the five participating space agencies accepted the new ISS construction schedule that planned to complete the ISS by 2010. [8]
As of May 2009, a crew of six has been established following 12 Shuttle construction flights after the second "Return to Flight" mission STS-121. Requirements for stepping up the crew size included 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.[ citation needed ] As of November 2020, the crew capacity has increased to seven due to the launch of Crew Dragon by SpaceX, which can carry 4 astronauts to the ISS.
Later additions included the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) in 2016, and numerous Russian components are planned as part of the in-orbit construction of OPSEK.[ citation needed ]
The ISS is made up of 16 pressurized modules: six Russian modules (Zarya, Zvezda, Poisk, Rassvet, Nauka, and Prichal), eight US modules (BEAM, [9] Leonardo, Harmony, Quest, Tranquility, Unity, Cupola, and Destiny), one Japanese module (Kibō) and one European module (Columbus).
At least one Russian pressurized module (Pirs) is deorbited till now. [10]
Although not permanently docked with the ISS, Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) formed part of the ISS during some Shuttle missions. An MPLM was attached to Harmony (initially to Unity) and was used for resupply and logistics flights.[ citation needed ]
Spacecraft attached 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. Table below shows the sequence in which these components were added to the ISS. [11] Decommissioned and deorbited Modules are shown in gray.
Element | Assembly flight | Launch date | Launch vehicle | Length | Diameter | Mass | Isolated View | Station View |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zarya (FGB) | 1A/R | 1998-11-20 | Proton-K | 12.56 m (41.2 ft) | 4.1 m (13 ft) | 24,968 kg (55,045 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Unity (Node 1) | 2A | 1998-12-04 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-88) | 5.5 m (18 ft) | 4.3 m (14 ft) | 11,895 kg (26,224 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
PMA-1 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | 1,589 kg (3,503 lb) | ![]() | ||||
PMA-2 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | 1,376 kg (3,034 lb) | ![]() | ||||
Zvezda (Service Module) | 1R | 2000-07-12 | Proton-K | 13.1 m (43 ft) | 4.2 m (14 ft) | 24,604 kg (54,243 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Z1 Truss | 3A | 2000-10-11 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-92) | 4.6 m (15 ft) | 4.2 m (14 ft) | 8,755 kg (19,301 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
PMA-3 | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | 1,183 kg (2,608 lb) | ![]() | ||||
P6 Truss & Solar Arrays | 4A | 2000-11-30 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97) | 18.3 m (60 ft) | 10.7 m (35 ft) deployed | 15,824 kg (34,886 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Destiny (US Laboratory) | 5A | 2001-02-07 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-98) | 9.2 m (30 ft) | 4.3 m (14 ft) | 14,515 kg (32,000 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
ESP-1 | 5A.1 | 2001-03-08 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-102) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Canadarm2 (SSRMS) | 6A | 2001-04-19 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-100) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Quest (Joint Airlock) | 7A | 2001-07-12 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-104) | 5.5 m (18 ft) | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) | 9,923 kg (21,876 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Pirs (Docking Compartment) | 4R | 2001-09-14 | Soyuz-U (Progress M-SO1) | 4.9 m (16 ft) | 2.55 m (8.4 ft) | 3,838 kg (8,461 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
S0 Truss [12] | 8A | 2002-04-08 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-110) | 13.4 m (44 ft) | 4.6 m (15 ft) | 13,971 kg (30,801 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Mobile Base System | UF2 | 2002-06-05 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
S1 Truss | 9A | 2002-10-07 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-112) | 13.7 m (45 ft) | 4.6 m (15 ft) | 14,124 kg (31,138 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
P1 Truss | 11A | 2002-11-23 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113) | 13.7 m (45 ft) | 4.6 m (15 ft) | 14,003 kg (30,871 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
ESP-2 | LF1 | 2005-07-26 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-114) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
P3/P4 Truss & Solar Arrays [13] | 12A | 2006-09-09 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-115) | 13.7 m (45 ft) | 4.6 m (15 ft) | 15,824 kg (34,886 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
P5 Truss [14] | 12A.1 | 2006-12-09 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116) | 3.37 m (11.1 ft) | 4.55 m (14.9 ft) | 1,864 kg (4,109 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
S3/S4 Truss & Solar Arrays | 13A | 2007-06-08 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-117) | 13.7 m (45 ft) | 10.7 m (35 ft) | 15,824 kg (34,886 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
S5 Truss | 13A.1 | 2007-08-08 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-118) | 3.37 m (11.1 ft) | 4.55 m (14.9 ft) | 1,864 kg (4,109 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
ESP-3 | ![]() | |||||||
Harmony (Node 2) | 10A | 2007-10-23 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-120) | 7.2 m (24 ft) | 4.4 m (14 ft) | 14,300 kg (31,500 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Relocation of P6 Truss | 18.3 m (60 ft) | 10.7 m (35 ft) deployed | 15,824 kg (34,886 lb) | ![]() | ||||
Columbus (European Laboratory) [15] | 1E | 2008-02-07 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) | 7 m (23 ft) | 4.5 m (15 ft) | 12,800 kg (28,219 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Dextre (SPDM) | 1J/A | 2008-03-11 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Experiment Logistics Module (ELM) | 4.21 m (13.8 ft) | 4.39 m (14.4 ft) | 8,386 kg (18,488 lb) | ![]() | ||||
JEM Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) [16] [17] | 1J | 2008-05-31 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-124) | 11.19 m (36.7 ft) | 4.39 m (14.4 ft) | 15,900 kg (35,100 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
JEM Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) | ||||||||
S6 Truss & Solar Arrays | 15A | 2009-03-15 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-119) | 18.3 m (60 ft) | 10.7 m (35 ft) deployed | 15,824 kg (34,886 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Kibo Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) | 2J/A | 2009-07-15 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Poisk (MRM-2) [18] [19] | 5R | 2009-11-10 | Soyuz-U (Progress M-MIM2) | 4.049 m (13.28 ft) | 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) | 3,670 kg (8,090 lb) | | ![]() |
ELC-1 | ULF3 | 2009-11-16 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) | 6,280 kg (13,850 lb) | | ![]() | ||
ELC-2 | 6,100 kg (13,400 lb) | | ||||||
Tranquility (Node 3) | 20A | 2010-02-08 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) | 6.706 m (22.00 ft) | 4.48 m (14.7 ft) | 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) | | ![]() |
Cupola | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) | 1,880 kg (4,140 lb) | ![]() | ||||
Rassvet (MRM-1) [20] | ULF4 | 2010-05-14 | Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-132) | 6 m (20 ft) | 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in) | 8,015 kg (17,670 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
Nauka Science Airlock | ||||||||
Nauka RTOd Radiator | ||||||||
ERA portable workpost | ||||||||
Leonardo (PMM) | ULF5 | 2011-02-24 | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-133) | 6.6 m (22 ft) | 4.57 m (15.0 ft) | 4,082 kg (8,999 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
ELC-4 | 3,735 kg (8,234 lb) | | ||||||
AMS-02 | ULF6 | 2011-05-16 | Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) | 7,500 kg (16,500 lb) | ![]() | ![]() | ||
OBSS | ![]() | |||||||
ELC-3 | 6,361 kg (14,024 lb) | | ||||||
HRSGF | CRS SpX-2 | 2013-03-13 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-2) | |||||
BEAM [21] | CRS SpX-8 | 2016-04-08 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-8) | 4.01 m (13.2 ft) | 3.23 m (10.6 ft) | 1,413 kg (3,115 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
IDA-2 [22] [23] | CRS SpX-9 | 2016-07-18 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-9) | ![]() | ||||
IDA-3 [24] | CRS SpX-18 | 2019-07-25 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-18) | |||||
Bartolomeo [25] | CRS SpX-20 | 2020-03-06 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-20). | |||||
Nanoracks Bishop Airlock | CRS SpX-21 | 2020-12-06 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-21) | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 2.014 m (6 ft 7.3 in) | 1,059 kg (2,335 lb) | ![]() | |
iROSA 1 and 2 | CRS SpX-22 | 2021-06-03 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-22) | 325 kg (717 lb) | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Nauka (MLM-U) [26] | 3R | 2021-07-21 | Proton-M | 13 m (43 ft) | 4.25 m (13.9 ft) | 20,300 kg (44,800 lb) | ![]() | ![]() |
European Robotic Arm | 11.3 m (37 ft) | 630 kg (1,390 lb) | ||||||
Nauka SSPA-GM temporary docking adapter | ||||||||
MLM Means of Attachment of Large payloads (LCCS Part) | 79P | 2021-10-28 | Soyuz 2.1a (Progress MS-18) | |||||
Prichal | 6R | 2021-11-24 | Soyuz 2.1b (Progress M-UM) | 4.91 m (16.1 ft) | 3.3 m (11 ft) | 3,890 kg (8,580 lb) | ![]() | |
MLM Means of Attachment of Large payloads (SCCS Part) | 82P | 2022-10-26 | Soyuz 2.1a (Progress MS-21) | |||||
iROSA 3 and 4 | CRS SpX-26 | 2022-11-26 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-26) | 325 kg (717 lb) | ![]() | |||
iROSA 5 and 6 | CRS SpX-28 | 2023-06-05 | Falcon 9 (SpaceX CRS-28) | 325 kg (717 lb) | ![]() |
The following module was built, but has not been used in future plans for the ISS as of January 2021.
The ISS is credited as the most expensive item ever built, costing around $150 billion (USD), [36] making it more expensive than Skylab (costing US$2.2 billion) [37] and Mir (US$4.2 billion). [38]
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station assembled and maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ISS is the largest space station ever built. Its primary purpose is to perform microgravity and space environment experiments.
The Soyuz programme is a human spaceflight programme initiated by the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The Soyuz spacecraft was originally part of a Moon landing project intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. It was the third Soviet human spaceflight programme after the Vostok (1961–1963) and Voskhod (1964–1965) programmes.
Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko is a retired Russian cosmonaut. Malenchenko became the first person to marry in space, on 10 August 2003, when he married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was in Texas, while he was 240 miles (390 km) over New Zealand, on the International Space Station. As of December 2023, Malenchenko ranks third for career time in space due to his time on both Mir and the International Space Station (ISS). He is a former commander of the International Space Station.
Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov is a Russian former cosmonaut and a veteran of three space missions. He has spent 200 days in space and has conducted two spacewalks. From 2014 to 2017, Lonchakov served as head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
STS-106 was a 2000 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Fyodor Nikolayevich Yurchikhin is a Russian cosmonaut of Pontic Greek descent, engineer and RSC Energia test-pilot who has flown on five spaceflights. His first spaceflight was a 10-day Space Shuttle mission STS-112. His second was a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer for Expedition 15; for this mission he was launched in the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft. He has undertaken two further long-duration stays aboard the ISS, as a crew member of Expedition 24 / 25. For this mission he was launched with the spacecraft Soyuz TMA-19, and he landed in November 2010, also with the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft. He served as Soyuz commander for his fourth mission aboard Soyuz TMA-09M, as flight engineer for Expedition 36 and ISS commander for Expedition 37. In April 2017, Yurchikhin launched on Soyuz MS-04 for the fifth spaceflight of his career, a six-month mission to the ISS as part of Expedition 51 and 52, for which he was the commander.
Zvezda, Salyut DOS-8, also known as the Zvezda Service Module, is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). It was the third module launched to the station, and provided all of the station's life support systems, some of which are supplemented in the US Orbital Segment (USOS), as well as living quarters for two crew members. It is the structural and functional center of the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS), which is the Russian part of the ISS. Crew assemble here to deal with emergencies on the station.
Zarya, also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB, is the first module of the International Space Station to have been launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly. With the launch and assembly in orbit of other modules with more specialized functionality, as of August 2021 it is primarily used for storage, both inside the pressurized section and in the externally mounted fuel tanks. The Zarya is a descendant of the TKS spacecraft designed for the Soviet Salyut program. The name Zarya ("Dawn") was given to the FGB because it signified the dawn of a new era of international cooperation in space. Although it was built by a Russian company, it is owned by the United States.
Expedition 1 was the first long-duration stay on the International Space Station (ISS). The three-person crew stayed aboard the station for 136 days, from November 2000 to March 2001. It was the beginning of an uninterrupted human presence on the station which continues as of 2024. Expedition 2, which also had three crew members, immediately followed Expedition 1.
Pirs(Russian: Пирс, meaning "pier") – also called Stykovochny Otsek 1 and DC-1 – was a Russian module on the International Space Station (ISS). Pirs was launched on 14 September 2001, and was located on the Zvezda module of the station. It provided the ISS with one docking port for Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, and allowed egress and ingress for spacewalks by cosmonauts using Russian Orlan space suits. Pirs was docked to Zvezda for almost 20 years, until 26 July 2021, where it was decommissioned and undocked by Progress MS-16 to make way for the new Nauka module.
The Shuttle–Mir program was a collaborative 11-mission space program between Russia and the United States that involved American Space Shuttles visiting the Russian space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the Shuttle, and an American astronaut flying aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard Mir.
Nauka, also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module-Upgrade or simply Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). The MLM-U is funded by Roscosmos. In the original ISS plans, Nauka was to use the location of the Docking and Storage Module (DSM). Later, the DSM was replaced by the Rassvet module and Nauka was moved from Zarya's nadir port to Zvezda's nadir port.
Shannon Walker is an American physicist and a NASA astronaut selected in 2004. She launched on her first mission into space on June 25, 2010, onboard Soyuz TMA-19 and spent over 163 days in space.
A Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a spacecraft adapter used on the International Space Station (ISS) to convert a Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) interface to an APAS-95 docking port. Three PMAs are connected to the US Orbital Segment of ISS. PMA-1 and PMA-2 were launched with the Unity module in 1998 aboard STS-88; PMA-3 was launched in 2000 aboard STS-92. PMA-1 permanently connects the Unity and Zarya modules. IDA adapters were permanently installed on PMA-2 and PMA-3 to support IDSS docking ports in 2017, so there are no PMAs available for docking visiting spacecraft.
Rassvet, also known as the Mini-Research Module 1 and formerly known as the Docking Cargo Module (DCM), is a component of the International Space Station (ISS). The module's design is similar to the Mir Docking Module launched on STS-74 in 1995. Rassvet is primarily used for cargo storage and as a docking port for visiting spacecraft. It was flown to the ISS aboard Space ShuttleAtlantis on the STS-132 mission on 14 May 2010, and was connected to the ISS on 18 May 2010. The hatch connecting Rassvet with the ISS was first opened on 20 May 2010. On 28 June 2010, the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft performed the first docking with the module.
Soyuz TMA-17 was a human spaceflight mission to the International Space Station (ISS). TMA-17 crew members participated in ISS Expedition 22 and Expedition 23. The mission ended when the Soyuz TMA-17 capsule landed on 2 June 2010.
The Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed in Russia and operated by the Russian Roscosmos. The ROS handles Guidance, Navigation, and Control for the entire Station.
The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The segment consists of eleven pressurized components and various external elements, almost all of which were delivered by the Space Shuttle.
Progress M-04M, identified by NASA as Progress 36P, was a Russian Progress spacecraft launched in February 2010 to resupply the International Space Station. It was docked with the aft port of the Zvezda module of the station.
Docking and berthing of spacecraft is the joining of two space vehicles. This connection can be temporary, or partially permanent such as for space station modules.
[Dragon's] ability to return goods is currently unique because all the other regular supply ships – Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Japan's HTV (or "Kounotori") and Russia's Progress – all burn up during controlled re-entry.