The new Russian multifunctional laboratory module “Science” has been connected to the computer network of the International Space Station (ISS), the press service of Roscosmos reports.
“Cosmonauts of Roscosmos Oleg Novitsky and Petr Dubrov docked an Ethernet cable (internal computer network of the ISS. – Ed.) To FP17 of the multipurpose laboratory module Nauka,” the message says. The works lasting 6 hours were carried out in open space. In addition to being connected to the ISS internal computer network, the cosmonauts installed on the Poisk module a platform with three containers Biorisk-MSN – an experiment on the survival of microorganisms in open space.
The Nauka module was supposed to go to the ISS back in 2007, but its launch was postponed due to discovered defects in the fuel system and a number of others. The module continued to be refined on Earth and neither in 2014 nor in 2017 did it go into orbit. However, work on the project continued, and the module is planned to be made one of the main elements of the future new Russian station.
Nauka docked at the space station on July 29th. Three hours after docking, the engines of the module turned on on their own, which caused the station to turn 45 degrees. To return the ISS to its previous position, the engines of the Zvezda module and the Progress MS-17 cargo vehicle were used.
As explained in “Roskosmos”, the abnormal activation of the engines of the Russian module “Nauka” during its docking with the ISS, which deployed the station, was probably due to the operation of the security system of the device.
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