Multipurpose Laboratory Module
Encyclopedia
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Многофункциональный лабораторный модуль, or МЛМ), will be a component of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS), funded by the Russian Federal Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
. In the original ISS plans, Nauka was to use the location of the Docking and Stowage Module. Later, the DSM was moved to Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
Rassvet (ISS module)
Rassvet , also known as the Mini-Research Module 1 and formerly known as the Docking Cargo Module , is a component of the International Space Station . The module's design is similar to the Mir Docking Module launched on STS-74 in 1995. Rassvet is primarily used for cargo storage and as a docking...
. Currently, Nauka is scheduled to dock at the Zvezda
Universal Docking Module
The Nodal Module is a pressurized module of the Russian Segment of the International Space Station and will be used in the OPSEK space station...
and the two Russian Research Module
Russian Research Module
The Russian Research Module was to be a Russian component of the International Space Station that provided facilities for Russian science experiments and research...
s were attached there; Nauka has replaced them.
Original plans for Nauka
In the 1990s, plans for the Russian segment of the ISS included several research modules that were intended to be adjunct to ZaryaZarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
and Zvezda. However, the plans changed in the early 2000s. In August 2004, it was decided that Nauka would be built from the modified Khrunichev
Khrunichev
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets. The company's history dates back to 1916, when an automobile factory was established outside Moscow...
-built Functional Cargo Block (FGB-2), whose construction has been halted at 70-percent complete since the late 1990s. The FGB-2 was originally made as a backup for the original launch of the Zarya
Zarya
Zarya , also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB , was the first module of the International Space Station to be launched. The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly...
module (the first FGB), and as early as 1997 it was planned to be used as the Universal Docking Module
Universal Docking Module
The Nodal Module is a pressurized module of the Russian Segment of the International Space Station and will be used in the OPSEK space station...
(UDM).
There was an alternate, rejected proposal for Nauka from RKK Energia, based on the cancelled Commercial Enterprise Module, which was jointly funded by RKK Energia and SPACEHAB
SPACEHAB
Astrotech Corporation , formerly Spacehab Inc., is an aerospace company headquartered in Austin, Texas which provides commercial space products and services to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, international space agencies, and global commercial customers...
.
Work on Nauka and launch date
At the end of 2005, the European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) agreed with the Russians that the European Robotic Arm
European Robotic Arm
The European Robotic Arm is a robotic arm to be attached to the Russian Segment of the International Space Station. It will be the first robot arm able to work on the Russian space station segments, and will supplement the two Russian Strela cargo cranes that are already installed on the Pirs...
would be launched together with Nauka, mated on its surface for a later deployment in space.
In 2004, the Russian Federal Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
stated that Nauka should be ready for launch in 2007 on a Russian Proton rocket
Proton rocket
Proton is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches. The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965 and the launch system is still in use as of 2011, which makes it one of the most successful heavy boosters in the history of spaceflight...
. However, the Nauka project was delayed further, first to 2008 and later to 2009. A November 2006 ESA bulletin mentioned that the RSA was negotiating with the ISS partners to push back the prospective launch date to the end of 2008. As of March 2011, the Consolidated Launch Manifest shows that the module is now expected to launch in May 2012.
Usage
Nauka will be used for experiments, docking and cargo. It will also serve as a crew work and rest area. Nauka will also be equipped with an attitude control system that can be used as a backup by the ISS. It will be docked onto the Zvezda module's nadir docking port. Outfitting equipment launched in 2010 with the RassvetRassvet (ISS module)
Rassvet , also known as the Mini-Research Module 1 and formerly known as the Docking Cargo Module , is a component of the International Space Station . The module's design is similar to the Mir Docking Module launched on STS-74 in 1995. Rassvet is primarily used for cargo storage and as a docking...
(Mini-Research Module 1) on NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's STS-132
STS-132
STS-132 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The primary payload was the Russian Rassvet Mini-Research Module, along with an Integrated...
will also be used for Nauka, including internal hardware and an experimental airlock to be positioned on one of the side-facing ports at the bottom of the module. A spare elbow joint for the European Robotic Arm was also launched.
Primary research module
Nauka will be Russia's primary ISS research module. For some time, NASA's official plans included a second research module around the same size as Nauka, listed to be "under review", but it was eventually cancelled, leaving Nauka to be the only Russian research moduleRussian Research Module
The Russian Research Module was to be a Russian component of the International Space Station that provided facilities for Russian science experiments and research...
besides Rassvet and Poisk (Mini-Research Module 2).
It has been proposed that Nauka include a small free-flying capsule that can be detached from the station for experiments outside of the ISS's microgravity environment.
Specifications
- Length: 13 metres (42.7 ft)
- Diameter: 4.11 metres (13.5 ft)
- Mass: 20300 kilograms (44,753.8 lb)
- Pressurized volume: 70.0 m^3
External links
- Description of MLM (English) (Russian) - Photos of the incomplete FGB-2 at Khrunichev.ru
- Новости российского сегмента МКС (Russian) - November 2004 article discussing plans for MLM
- FGB-2 Module of the ISS - RussianSpaceWeb article discussing slip of launch to 2011
- MLM (Nauka) - from Gunter's Space Page