Launch date: October 2000
Launch vehicle: Shuttle Discovery (Shuttle Mission STS-92)
Launch complex: Kennedy Space Center

The first truss goes up, proving that erector sets work much differently in space. During four days of spacewalks, astronauts attach station-stabilizing gyros that replace jet thrusters. They also stick on a Ku-band antenna system so that U.S. TV watchers can keep their eye on station activities beginning with assembly flight 6A. They use Discovery's robot arm to attach a pressurized mating adapter to the truss so that the shuttle can dock close to where astronauts will attach a solar array and lab module.

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