Launching materials, crew and modules into space is costly and complicated. So the launch of each module must be planned carefully.
The countries co-operating to build the space station have agreed on how modules are to be built, how they are to function
and when they are to be launched for assembly. For instance, the USA made the first module, Unity, and Russia made the second
module, Zarya.
Now the space station is being assembled at the rate of four to five modules a year, many of them made in Europe. Among the
most fascinating modules to be launched in the near future are the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and the Columbus
Lab.
ATV is a new type of space vehicle, the first European “spaceship”. An ATV is an unmanned supply vehicle that can carry up
to 7.5 tons of equipment and supplies. An ATV navigates to the space station and docks. It stays attached for six months and
is filled with waste and rubbish. Then it is detached and guided back toward Earth to burn up in the atmosphere.
The European lab, Columbus Orbital Facility, scheduled for launch in late 2004, is another new development. It is a large,
advanced laboratory module that will permit thousands of experiments that will be planned and monitored by scientists on Earth.
Space station assembly
The space station is assembled almost like a building set. One by one, carefully planned modules are attached together.
Automated Transfer Vehicle
ESA information about ATV.From autumn 2004 onward, Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will be one of the indispensable ISS supply spaceships.
Building the ISS
A part of the ESA website, with a presentation showing the construction of the International Space Station.
Columbus module
An article on the ESA web about the new, European lab module which will be flown to the ISS in 2004.
