posted 02-20-2016 12:41 PM               

Space Cover #356: Rassvet

The Mini-Research Module 1, or MRM-1, also known as Rassvet (dawn or sunrise in Russian) was delivered to the International Space Station onboard of Atlantis, launched from KSC on May, 14, 2010 in its mission STS-132 as primary payload.

Atlantis docked with the ISS on May 16, 2010 and Rassvet was connected to ISS on May 18, 2010. Both dates are shown in the above cover, which was postmarked in Korolev space mission control center and signed by complete crew (expedition 23): Oleg Kotov, Mikhail Kornylenko and Aleksandr Skvortsov (Russian Space Agency –RSA- or Rosscosmos); Timothy Creamer and Tracy Caldwell Dyson (NASA) and Soichi Noguchi (JAXA).

Rassvet, built by Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia), is 19,7 feet long (6,01 m), has a maximum exterior diameter of 7,7 feet (2,35 m) and weighs 11.188 pounds (5.075 kg). It provides a fourth docking port on the Russian segment of the station for the docking of Soyuz or Progress vehicles.

On June 18, 2010 the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft docked with the aft port of Zvezda module. Ten days later, on June 28, 2010 Soyuz TMA-19 re-docked it to a new location: Rassvet. It was the first docking with Rassvet, connected to Nadir port of Zariya module.