Welcome! I'm glad that you chose this source for the latest news about STS-110.

This mission promises plenty of excitement. Astronauts will begin construction of a "truss" for the International Space Station (ISS) that will be bigger than a football field (300 ft.) when complete. It will attach large solar power panels and radiators to the station. This mission will install the first segment called "SØ."

The "SØ Truss" is pretty big! At 44 feet long, 15 feet wide and weighing in at 27,000 pounds, it is about as long as a large charter bus, as wide as the interior cabin of a 767 commercial airplane and as heavy as two full-grown African elephants. Once installed, the SØ Truss will be the only truss segment physically attached to the Station, serving as the support for the large solar arrays which one day will provide the bulk of the Station's power supply.

During STS-110, the Station will also become home to the first railroad in space. The astronauts will install the Mobile Transporter, a moveable base for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) that was installed on the Station last year during STS-100. The Mobile Transporter and Mobile Base System, which will be delivered to the Station during STS-111, will allow the SSRMS to travel the entire length of the Integrated Truss Structure once it is fully assembled.

This will be a busy 11 days for the crew. Stay tuned for the latest updates.