New Russian module takes control of space station

larger   Artist's concept of the current International Space Station, composed of three modules linked in space (from left): Zvezda, Zarya and Unity

By Richard Stenger
CNN.com Writer

(CNN) -- The latest addition to the International Space Station has assumed computer control of the orbiting outpost, NASA said this week.

The Zvezda service module docked with the station a week ago, opening the door to a quick succession of flights to the 60-ton complex before the first residents arrive later this year.

Zvezda took over automatic management of the station from the temporary Zarya module, which together with the U.S.-built Unity module has orbited Earth for more than 1.5 years.

Ground controllers in Russia are responsible for most communications with the station, sending and receiving commands and data through Zvezda's computers.

Russian and U.S. space station managers expressed relief that the Zvezda, which will provide power, guidance systems and living quarters for the station crew, docked without a hitch after two years of delays.

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"We're riding a roller coaster that has crested on the first hill and gone down the back side," a NASA official told reporters Tuesday.

Now that Zvezda is operational, about 15 missions are planned to continue assembly of the station over the next year.

The first is an unmanned Russian supply mission, set to launch Sunday. The Progress cargo ship, in final processing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, will ride aboard a Soyuz rocket and dock with the station on August 8.

The first manned mission is scheduled for September when a space shuttle crew will prepare the station for its inaugural residents, two cosmonauts and an astronaut, due to leave Earth aboard a Soyuz in late October.

The space station, with a stack of segments that extends almost 120 feet and solar panels that span 95 feet, is now the third brightest object in the night sky. Only the moon and Venus shine brighter.

The next major piece that the 16-nation space station consortium will add to the outpost is the U.S.-built Destiny science module, expected to launch in January.

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NASA
Human Space Flight (HSF) - International Space Station
Boeing's page on the International Space Station
International Space Station Assembly Zvezda

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