Space Station - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

With multinational input, the ISS is currently the largest single structure humans have put into space. Constructed between1998 and 2011, and continuously occupied since November 2000, it now weighs 391 tonnes. The first module, the Russia...See moreWith multinational input, the ISS is currently the largest single structure humans have put into space. Constructed between1998 and 2011, and continuously occupied since November 2000, it now weighs 391 tonnes. The first module, the Russia Zarya, was launched by a Proton rocket 20 Nov 1998. Two weeks later, STS 88, a space shuttle flight, added the NASA Unity, or Node 1 module. Astronauts from STS 88 then connected the two parts of the station together. The truss, solar panels and airlocks were launched in stages throughout the ISS lifetime and in 2017 new docking adapters were added for future commercial spacecraft arrivals. Current plans are to operate to 2024 and maybe 2028.See less