The latest on ISS
As U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts prepare to head to space, NASA gives school children a chance to name a space-station component.
By
Jeremy McGovern —
Published:
October 19, 2006October 19, 2006
NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency have appointed the International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 15 crew: astronauts Clayton C. Anderson and Daniel M. Tani and cosmonauts Fyodor N. Yurchikhin and Oleg V. Kotov.
The cosmonauts will reach the space station in March 2007 aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. Yurchikhin will command Expedition 15, and Kotov will serve as station flight engineer and Soyuz commander. Yurchikhin served aboard the space station in 2002.
Anderson will ride to the ISS aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch in June 2007. Until Anderson arrives, astronaut Sunita L. Williams will serve as Expedition 15's third crew member and flight engineer. She will fly to the station on Discovery in December. Tani will replace Anderson in August 2007 after reaching the space station aboard Atlantis. Tani will return to Earth in October 2007. |
 Node 2 provides a passageway between three station science experiment facilities: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, and the European Columbus Laboratory.
Photo by NASA
In this contest, students from kindergarten through grade 12 will work together as a class or school to build a Node 2 model and select a name for the module. A panel of NASA scientists, engineers, and educators will review the submissions. The deadline to enter is December 1, and the winner will be named in early 2007.
To register your class or school in the Node 2 challenge, send an e-mail to this address: NASA-ESC@nasa.gov. |