KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- As the bucket operator (left) lowers them into the open payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour, STS-88 Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross (second from left) and James H. Newman (second from right) do a sharp-edge inspection. At their right is Wayne Wedlake, with United Space Alliance at Johnson Space Center. Below them is the Orbiter Docking System, the remote manipulator system arm and a tunnel into the payload bay. The STS-88 crew members are participating in a Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), familiarizing themselves with the orbiter's midbody and crew compartments. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 3, 1998, STS-88 will be the first Space Shuttle launch for assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). The primary payload is the Unity connecting module which will be mated to the Russian-built Zarya control module, expected to be already on orbit after a November launch from Russia. After the mating, Ross and Newman are scheduled to perform three spacewalks to connect power, data and utility lines and install exterior equipment. The first major U.S.-built component of ISS, Unity will serve as a connecting passageway to living and working areas of the space station. Unity has two attached pressurized mating adapters (PMAs) and one stowage rack installed inside. PMA-1 provides the permanent connection point between Unity and Zarya; PMA-2 will serve as a Space Shuttle docking port. Zarya is a self-supporting active vehicle, providing propulsive control capability and power during the early assembly stages. It also has fuel storage capability KSC-98pc1222
