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space station
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International Space Station Cutaway diagram of the U.S. Skylab space station with docked Apollo Command and Service modules, showing labeled components such as solar arrays, telescope mount, docking adapter, airlock, instrument units, living quarters, and workshop areas. Skylab in orbit Soyuz T-5 and Salyut 7 Detailed labeled diagram of the completed Mir space station as of 1996, showing its modular structure with labeled components including Kvant 1, Kvant 2, Kristall, Spektr, Priroda, the Mir base block, shuttle docking module, and multiple solar panels. A Soyuz TM crew spacecraft and an unmanned Progress cargo ferry are shown docked to the station. Key features such as attitude-control thrusters, airlock hatch, communication antennas, and docking ports are also identified. Atlantis and Mir ISS crew in December 2000 International Space Station International Space Station Automated transfer vehicle
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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
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Edwin E. Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) stands on the moon, Apollo 11
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International Space Station
International Space Station The International Space Station photographed against the Rio Negro, Argentina, from the shuttle orbiter Atlantis, February 16, 2001. Atlantis's primary mission was to deliver the Destiny laboratory module, visible at the leading end of the station.

space station

Written by
David M. Harland
Space historian and freelance writer, Glasgow, Scotland. Author of Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions; Jupiter Odyssey: The Story of NASA's Galileo Mission; and others.
David M. Harland
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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space station, an artificial structure placed in orbit and having the pressurized enclosure, power, supplies, and environmental systems necessary to support human habitation for extended periods. Depending on its configuration, a space station can serve as a base for a variety of activities. These include observations of the Sun and other astronomical objects, study of Earth’s resources and environment, military reconnaissance, and long-term investigations of the behaviour of materials and biological systems—including human physiology and...

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