Unity (ISS module)

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Unity
ISS Unity module (cropped).jpg
Unity as pictured by Space Shuttle Endeavour shortly after it was berthed to Zarya in December 1998
Module statistics
COSPAR ID 1998-069F
Part of International Space Station
Launch date December 4, 1998, 08:35:34  UTC
Launch vehicle Space Shuttle Endeavour
Berthed December 6, 1998 (Zarya  forward)
Mass 11,612 kg (25,600 lb)
Length5.47 m (17.9 ft)
Diameter4.57 m (15.0 ft)

Unity, also known as Node 1, is the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station (ISS). This cylindrical module, constructed of steel by Boeing for NASA, serves as the critical link between the orbiting laboratory's Russian Orbital Segment and US Orbital Segment.

Contents

Unity was launched on December 4, 1998, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-88. Two days later it was berthed to the previously launched Zarya module, marking the first connection between ISS components. Its six Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) locations (forward, aft, port, starboard, zenith, and nadir) facilitate connections to other modules. At launch, two CBM locations were fitted with Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA), one of which enabled the mating with Zarya.

Measuring 4.57 metres (15.0 ft) in diameter and 5.47 metres (17.9 ft) in length, Unity was built at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. It is the first of three connecting modules, joined by Harmony and Tranquility.

Launch and initial berthing

Unity (with its two attached PMAs) was carried into orbit as the primary cargo of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV 105) on STS-88, the first Space Shuttle mission dedicated to assembly of the station. On December 6, 1998, the STS-88 crew mated the docking port of the PMA on the aft berthing port of Unity with the forward hatch of the already orbiting Zarya module. (Zarya was a mixed Russian-U.S. funded and Russian-built component launched a few days before aboard a Russian Proton launch vehicle from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.)

Connecting modules and visiting vehicles

Unity has two axial and four radial Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) ports. In addition to connecting to the Zarya module, Unity connects to the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Module (added on STS-98), the Z1 truss (an early exterior framework for the station added on STS-92), the PMA-3 (also added on STS-92), and the Quest Joint Airlock (added on STS-104). During STS-120 the Harmony module was temporarily berthed to the port-side hatch of Unity. Tranquility , with its multi-windowed cupola, was attached to Unity's port side during the STS-130 mission, and Leonardo was added to the nadir hatch during STS-133.

In addition, the Leonardo and Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules were each berthed to Unity on multiple missions.

Nadir
SpacecraftDocking (UTC)Undocking (UTC)
STS-97 December 2, 2000, 19:59December 9, 2000, 19:13
STS-98 February 9, 2001, 16:51February 16, 2001, 14:05
Leonardo PMM 20112015
CRS OA-4 December 9, 2015, 14:26February 19, 2016, 10:38
CRS OA-6 March 26, 2016, 10:51June 14, 2016, 11:43
CRS OA-5 October 17, 2016, 23:45November 27, 2016, 23:36
CRS OA-7 April 22, 2017, 12:39June 4, 2017, 11:05
CRS OA-8E November 14, 2017, 12:15December 5, 2017, 17:52
CRS OA-9E May 24, 2018, 12:13July 15, 2018, 10:20
CRS NG-10 November 19, 2018, 12:31February 8, 2019, 14:37
CRS NG-11 April 19, 2019, 11:31August 6, 2019, 13:30
CRS NG-12 November 4, 2019, 11:21January 31, 2020, 13:10
CRS NG-13 February 18, 2020, 11:16May 11, 2020, 13:00
CRS NG-14 October 5, 2020, 12:01January 26, 2020, 20:23
CRS NG-15 February 20, 2021, 17:36June 29, 2021, 16:32
CRS NG-16 August 12, 2021, 13:42December 15, 2021, 06:25
CRS NG-17 February 21, 2022, 12:02June 28, 2022, 07:00
CRS NG-18 November 9, 2022, 13:05April 21, 2023, 08:37
CRS NG-19 August 4, 2023, 12:28December 22, 2023, 10:00
CRS NG-20 February 1, 2024, 12:14July 12, 2024, 08:00
CRS NG-21 August 6, 2024, 09:33March 28, 2025, 08:50
Forward

via PMA-2

SpacecraftDockingUndocking
STS-96 May 27, 1999, 10:49June 6, 1999, 02:02
STS-101 May 20, 2000, 04:30May 26, 2000, 23:03
STS-106 September 8, 2000, 12:45September 19, 2000, 07:56
STS-92 October 11, 2000, 23:17October 24, 2000, 20:59
Aft
Starboard
Port
Zenith

Details

Interior of Node 1 (As of 2005
) Unity module interior.jpg
Interior of Node 1 (As of 2005)

Essential space station resources such as fluids, environmental control and life support systems, electrical and data systems are routed through Unity to supply work and living areas of the station. More than 50,000 mechanical items, 216 lines to carry fluids and gases, and 121 internal and external electrical cables using six miles of wire were installed in the Unity node. [2] The primary structure of Unity is constructed of aluminium. [3]

During the space station construction, a crew member placed two speed limit signs on the hatch (leading into the FGB) in 2003, noting the orbital velocity in mph and km/h. [4]

Prior to its launch aboard Endeavour, conical Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) were attached to the aft and forward berthing mechanisms of Unity. Unity and the two mating adapters together weighed about 11,600 kg (25,600 lb). The adapters allow the docking systems used by the Space Shuttle and by Russian modules to attach to the node's hatches and berthing mechanisms. [2] PMA-1 now permanently attaches Unity to Zarya, while PMA-2 provided a Shuttle docking port. Attached to the exterior of PMA-1 are computers, or multiplexer-demultiplexers (MDMs), which provided early command and control of Unity. Unity also is outfitted with an early communications system that allows data, voice and low data rate video with Mission Control Houston, to supplement Russian communications systems during the early station assembly activities. PMA-3 was attached to Unity's nadir berthing mechanism by the crew of STS-92.

Other nodes

Node 3 (Tranquility) in space Node 3 - Isolated view.jpg
Node 3 (Tranquility) in space

The two remaining station connecting modules, or nodes, were manufactured in Italy by Alenia Aerospazio, as part of an agreement between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Harmony (also known as Node 2) and Tranquility (also known as Node 3) are slightly longer than Unity, measuring almost 6.4 m (21 ft) long in total. In addition to their six berthing ports, each can hold eight International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs). Unity, in comparison, holds just four ISPRs. ESA built Nodes 2 and 3 as partial payment for the launch aboard the Shuttle of the Columbus laboratory module, and other ESA equipment.

References

  1. "NASA - PMA-2 Move Readies Station for Harmony Relocation". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 "Unity Node". NASA. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2013.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. "NASA Facts: Unity Connecting Module: cornerstone for a Home in Orbit" (PDF). NASA. January 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 17, 2000.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. "Space Station Science Picture of the Day: Speed Limit". www.spaceref.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.