MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky has become the first resident of Russia’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module, which became a part of the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) in July, Russian space agency Roscosmos has told TASS.
"Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky is now living in the compartment of the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module," the state corporation said.
Earlier, the cosmonaut lived in the Zvezda service module, but he offered his compartment to actress Yulia Peresild, who arrived to the ISS together with film director Klim Shipenko to film the first movie in space.
The Nauka multi-functional laboratory module for implementing a Russian program of applied research and experiments was launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on July 21 and docked with the ISS on July 29. With the launch of the Nauka research module into operation, the Russian segment of the International Space Station received additional space for equipping workplaces, storing cargoes and accommodating water and oxygen regeneration equipment. The Nauka module also provides a second toilet for Russian cosmonauts (the first is located in the Zvezda module) and a room for a third crewmember. It also uses the European Robotic Arm (ERA) that will help perform some operations without spacewalks.