A New Truss for the International Space Station
Credit:
STS-110 Shuttle Crew,
NASA
The
International Space Station (ISS) is being fitted with a
backbone.
During the
present visit of
Space Shuttle
Atlantis, astronauts are installing a
huge truss on the growing space outpost.
The truss is over 13 meters long and about 4.5 meters wide.
Dubbed
Starboard 0, or S0 (pronounced S-Zero) for short,
the truss will route
electricity, vent excess heat, and allow for
future ISS expansion.
Pictured above, the truss was lifted out of the shuttle's cargo bay by the
station's robotic Canadarm2.