World Report: December 11, 1998 Vol.4 No.11
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
The Space Station Takes Off
The space shuttle Endeavour streaked into orbit last Friday, carrying the first U.S.-built piece of a planned international space station. During its 12-day mission, the shuttle crew will attach the piece, called the Unity node, to the first part of the station, which Russia launched last month.
The huge, million-pound space station will serve as a base for space research. Sixteen nations are cooperating to build it. Russia and the U.S. will play the biggest roles. The $96 billion construction project will require 43 more missions over the next five years, and crew members will have to walk in space 162 times to put all the pieces together.
"We're not just testing hardware," said Russian space official Mikhail Sinelschikov. "We're testing our relationship and our mutual trust."
