The Next Shuttle Launch Restarts Space Construction
The destination is the highest construction site ever, the partially built ISS. The shuttle that intercepts it will carry a huge load of materials, as well as the astronauts who have been trained to be the erectors, plumbers, electricians and quality assurance technicians installing the next addition to the station.
“Our robotic arms are cranes, we are maneuvering large 10,000, 15,000, 20,000-pound structures and we are attaching them, bolting them into place, doing wiring, and plumbing—that sounds a lot like construction to me,” says NASA astronaut and veteran of two Space Station missions, Col. William S. McArthur Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.). McArthur returned from his most recent, six-month stay at the station on April 8. “In its very current configuration, which is extremely impressive, you look at it and realize that we have had a lot of people contributing small parts to create something that is truly awe-inspiring.”