The mission goal for the International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) is to establish an international orbiting laboratory for the advancement of a wide range of scientific and technical research. To meet this goal, the ISSA is assembled by element with incremental capabilities until the assembly sequence completion and the beginning of its ten year life. To accomplish its goals, the ISSA is outfitted to support scientific research and is outfitted for habitability of the crew.
Habitable modules, systems, external systems and fixtures, and numerous components are assembled together following an assembly sequence to form the ISSA. These pieces are launched on various vehicles and connected together on-orbit. Pressurized modules are the cornerstones of the ISSA, providing living and working quarters for crew and housing for payloads. This paper describes the latest assembly sequence, the assembly sequence milestones for habitability, and the pressurized modules.
The pressurized modules comprise various areas requiring unique packaging. Each module consists of racks containing core equipment, storage and payloads. This paper provides an overview of pressurized module outfitting.
Various laboratory modules house International Standard Payload Racks (ISPR) containing various scientific research payloads. Pressurized modules provide ISPRs with common services to accommodate the payloads. This paper also details the module provisions for ISPRs.
The ISSA, which supports a crew of six for long durations, provides for crew health, nutrition, hygiene, and recreation. This paper describes the crew habitability provisions of flight crew integration and crew health.