17 years ago today, the Zarya module of the International Space Station launched into orbit, making the ISS 17 years old!

Proton-K-Zarya

Zarya, meaning “sunrise” in Russian, provided electrical power and storage while the station was being assembled, and also served as its propulsion module. Originally intended as another module for the Russian station Mir, Zarya was pushed back to serve as the genesis for a new era of international cooperation.

STS-128_EVA2_Russian_Orbital_Segment

Read more about the beginning of the ISS here.