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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

A New Truss for the International Space Station

Explanation: 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 .

Date April 15, 2002
Credit Credit: STS-110 Shuttle Crew , NASA
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.