The Russian booster rocket Proton, with the 24-ton Zarya (Sunrise) control and cargo module atop, is transported to a launch pad at the Baikonur rocket base in Kazakstan, Monday, Nov. 16, 1998. After months of delays, the first component of a multibillion dollar international space station was placed on the launch pad in preparation for liftoff. The Zarya module was scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur rocket base in Kazakstan at 9:40 a.m. Moscow time Friday, Nov. 20, 1998, ushering in a new era in international space cooperation.