Table of Contents

Mission STS-104

Canadarm2 and Mission STS-104

Airlock and Gas Tanks installation

The primary objective of Flight 7A/STS-104, launched on July 12, 2001, is to deliver and install the ISS Airlock, the first official task of Canadarm2. The purpose of the airlock is to make it possible for crewmembers on board the International Space Station, to undertake spacewalks, wearing either American or Russian space suits. ISS-based Extravehicular Activity (EVA) is extremely important, since astronauts and cosmonauts need to be able to leave the Space Station in order to personally assemble, maintain and service certain components. Before the Airlock was installed on the Station, only U.S.spacesuits could be used for EVAs, from the space shuttle, and only Russian spacesuits from the Zvezda Service Module.

The 6-metre long, 6.5-tonne Airlock was attached to the right hand docking port of the Unity Module (Node 1). It comprise two compartments: a crew airlock enabling astronauts and cosmonauts to exit the Space Station, and an equipment airlock.

With the installation of the Airlock, the Early Assembly Phase of the International Space Station is complete. The Zvezda Service Module, Zarya Control Module, Z1 Truss, Unity Connecting Module and Destiny Laboratory Module are operational. The solar arrays have been deployed. Canadarm2 is installed. And with the Airlock, the principal interfaces between the space technologies of the 15 partner nations have been established, providing the astronauts and cosmonauts on board the ISS with greater ease, as they go about their daily research tasks.