The crew of the International Space Station ISS entered the Russian laboratory module Nauka on Saturday. This was announced by Dmitri Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos. The hatch to the laboratory had been opened a few hours earlier.
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“Our crew entered the Nauka module an hour ago. Congratulations! Nauka is integrated into the Russian section of the ISS,” Rogozin said.
Linking Nauka (“science”) has proven to be a difficult operation. Shortly after the arrival of the 23-tonne module, a brief software malfunction occurred on Thursday that inadvertently activated Nauka’s propulsion system, which also set the ISS in motion. After a lot of ‘tug-of-war’ between the two modules, the position determination could eventually be restored.
The module serves not only for scientific experiments, but also as a storage place and additional sleeping place. She features an additional Elektron oxygen generator and toilet, plus an airlock for (Russian) spacewalks and a docking port. The next Russian spacewalks are scheduled for early September.
The European robotic arm ERA, which is more than eleven meters long, hangs from the Nauka. Belgium had a significant share in its development.
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