page_title: STS-88
hierarchical_section_title: STS-88
caption_attribution_description: Designed by the crew members, this patch commemorates the first assembly flight to carry United States-built hardware for constructing the International Space Station (ISS). This flight's primary task is to assemble the cornerstone of the Space Station: the Node with the Functional Cargo Block (fgb). The rising sun symbolizes the dawning of a new era of international cooperation in space and the beginning of a new program: the International Space Station. The Earth scene outlines the countries of the Station Partners: the United States, Russia, those of the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan, and Canada. Along with the Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMA) and the Functional Cargo Block, the Node is shown in the final mated configuration while berthed to the Space Shuttle during the STS-88/2A mission. The Big Dipper Constellation points the way to the North Star, a guiding light for pioneers and explorers for generations. In the words of the crew, "These stars symbolize the efforts of everyone, including all the countries involved in the design and construction of the International Space Station, guiding us into the future."
context_page_description: STS-88 was the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. It was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour, and took the first American module, the Unity node, to the station.
  The seven-day mission was highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-built Unity node to the Functional Cargo Block already in orbit, and three spacewalks to connect power and data transmission cables between the Node and the FGB. Zarya, built by Boeing and the Russian Space Agency, was launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 1998.
  Other payloads on the STS-88 mission included the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera, the Argentine Scientific Applications Satellite-S, the MightySat 1 Hitchhiker payload, the Space Experiment Module and Getaway Special G-093 sponsored by the University of Michigan.
context_section_description: STS-88 was the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour, and took the first American module, the Unity node, to the station.
  The seven-day mission was highlighted by the mating of the U.S.-built Unity node to the Functional Cargo Block (Zarya module) already in orbit, and three spacewalks to connect power and data transmission cables between the Node and the FGB. Zarya, built by Boeing and the Russian Space Agency, was launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 1998.
  Other payloads on the STS-88 mission included the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), the Argentine Scientific Applications Satellite-S (SAC-A), the MightySat 1 Hitchhiker payload, the Space Experiment Module (SEM-07) and Getaway Special G-093 sponsored by the University of Michigan.
caption: Space Shuttle program
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