KSC-98pc1220

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside Space Shuttle orbiter Endeavour in the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 1, workers James Neilhouse (left) and Melissa Groening (right) watch while STS-88 Mission Specialists James H. Newman (second from left) and Sergei Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut, check overhead equipment. STS-88 crew members are participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 3, 1998, STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The primary payload is the Unity connecting module which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module, expected to be already on orbit after a November launch from Russia. The first major U.S.-built component of ISS, Unity will serve as a connecting passageway to living and working areas of the space station. Unity has two attached pressurized mating adapters (PMAs) and one stowage rack installed inside. PMA-1 provides the permanent connection point between Unity and Zarya; PMA-2 will serve as a Space Shuttle docking port. Zarya is a self-supporting active vehicle, providing propulsive control capability and power during the early assembly stages. It also has fuel storage capability.