This is an artist's depiction of the ISS before the Zvezda docking. The Unity is on the right and the Zarya is on the left.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA

Let's Get on with the Show!
News story originally written on July 26, 2000

Finally! Two years of frustration ended with the docking of Russia's Zvezda module to the International Space Station. The module was flying alone for two weeks while being tested. At speeds over 17,000 miles per hour, Zvezda joined with the other two pieces of the station.

Scientists around the world applauded as the biggest hurdle yet faced by the ISS was over. The Zvezda module is 43 feet long. It will serve as the sleeping and dining area for the crew, the main power source for the station, as well as a small laboratory. The first crew will visit the ISS in November.

Zvezda joins the U.S. Unity and the Russian Zarya in space. Zarya was the temporary power source and will now serve as a passageway. The Unity is the docking port for future missions. The main laboratory will be launched in January.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Atlantis Set for Launch

The next shuttle mission will begin on September 8th. The Space Shuttle Atlantis will head to the International Space Station with plenty of supplies. The purpose of the visit is to prepare the station...more

1999--A Year in Review...

It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,...more

STS-95 Launch: "Let the wings of Discovery lift us on to the future."

The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 29th at 2:19 p.m. EST. The weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit. This was the United States' 123rd...more

Moon Found Orbiting Asteroid

A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon...more

U.S. is Fed Up with Russia

Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials want an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting to be...more

More on Recent Coronal Mass Ejection

A coronal mass ejection (CME) happened on the Sun early last month. The material that was thrown out from this explosion passed the ACE spacecraft. The SWICS instrument on ACE has produced a new and very...more

Mother Nature's Air Conditioning

J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service called forests the "heart and lungs of the world." This is because forests filter air and water pollution, absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA