Quest (ISS module)

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Quest (ISS module)
Quest airlock exterior - STS-127.jpg
The Quest Module ( NASA )
Space station: International space station
Start date: July 12, 2001
Launcher: Space Shuttle Atlantis
Coupling: July 15, 2001
Dimensions: 6.1 t
Length: 5.5 m
Diameter: 4 m
Volume: 34 m³
Adjacent modules
Flight direction
Triangle Up.svg
Triangle Left.svg Zenith / Nadir Triangle Right.svg
Unity ─ / ─
Triangle Down.svg

Quest is the third American module of the International Space Station . It was launched on July 12, 2001 aboard the space shuttle Atlantis (Mission STS-104 ) and docked three days later on the starboard side of the Unity link module .

Quest serves as an exit lock for outboard work and can be used with both American and Russian spacesuits. It consists primarily of aluminum , has an empty weight of 6.1 t, a volume of 34 m³, a total length of 5.5 m and a maximum diameter of 4.0 m.

Quest consists of two sections: In the first, larger equipment section (Equipment Lock), the space travelers prepare to exit, put on their spacesuits and test their correct functioning. After the exit, maintenance work on the suits is also carried out here. This includes charging the batteries and refilling the oxygen tanks. The second, slimmer section (crew lock) is the actual airlock. Before the outer hatch is opened, the air is evacuated into a tank using special vacuum pumps. Otherwise this part of the module corresponds to the locks previously used in American shuttles.

On the outside of the lock there are two large oxygen and two nitrogen tanks. They have a diameter of 0.9 m, a mass of 545.4 kg each, are made of carbon fiber composite material , hold 0.42 m³ of high-pressure gas and are equipped with a multi-layered meteorite protection. In addition, the lock module has platforms and brackets as well as power and communication connections.

Garrett Reisman within the quest
James F. Reilly at the start of an spacecraft mission in which the Quest airlock was first used in July 2001

Web links

Commons : Quest  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files