Andrew Yee[_1_]
February 11th 08, 03:04 AM
European Space Agency
Press Release No. 7-2008
Paris, France 7 February 2008
Europe's Columbus laboratory leaves Earth
Columbus, ESA's advanced science laboratory in space, has just been launched
into orbit and is now on its way to dock with the International Space
Station (ISS).
Columbus was onboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis when it lifted off from
the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 20:45 CET [1945 UTC]
today. For this one-way trip to Earth orbit, Columbus is in the expert hands
of a crew of seven astronauts, including two members of the European
astronaut corps: Leopold Eyharts of France and Hans Schlegel of Germany.
Whereas Hans Schlegel will return to Earth after the 12-day Shuttle mission
is over, Leopold Eyharts will stay on the ISS for over two more months to
supervise the in-orbit commissioning of ESA's Columbus laboratory and its
experimental facilities and to perform a programme of experiments.
On Saturday 9 February at 18:23 CET [1723 UTC] Space Shuttle Atlantis will
dock with the ISS. On the following day, the space station's Canadarm2
robotic arm will remove the Columbus module from the shuttle's cargo bay and
dock it to the starboard hatch of the Harmony (Node 2) module. Two
spacewalking astronauts, including Hans Schlegel, will assist the manoeuvre.
Once the module is docked safely, its commissioning will begin under the
responsibility of Leopold Eyharts, who will become part of the ISS resident
crew. Science experiments onboard Columbus will start within a few hours.
Two more spacewalks are planned while Atlantis is docked to the ISS,
including a second one with Hans Schlegel and a NASA astronaut to install
external science payloads and handrails on the Columbus module.
An advanced laboratory for in-orbit science
As a state-of-the-art research facility, the Columbus laboratory is the
cornerstone of Europe's contribution to the ISS. Once attached to the
orbital outpost, this 7-m long, 12.8-tonne module will provide a shirtsleeve
environment for astronauts to operate science equipment and conduct
experiments in weightlessness across a wide range of topics in life
sciences, human physiology, biology, fluid physics, material sciences,
technology and education. It will also feature external accommodation for
experiments focusing on space science, Earth observation, materials and
advanced space technologies.
With the launch and docking of Columbus, ESA also becomes responsible for
the operations and utilisation of the ISS and will thus be entitled to fly
its own astronauts for long-duration missions as members of the resident ISS
crew, with an actual share proportionate to Europe's investment in the
international facility.
Columbus carries 2.5 tonnes of science payloads, consisting of five internal
racks housing integrated or modular multi-user research facilities --
Biolab, the Fluid Science Laboratory, the European Physiology Modules, the
European Drawer Rack and the European Transport Carrier. Two more payloads
are carried separately in the cargo bay of the Shuttle and will be mounted
on Columbus's external platforms: the Solar observatory and the European
Technology Exposure Facility. More internal and external payloads will be
added at a later stage.
As soon as it is connected to the ISS, the European space laboratory will be
monitored and controlled by ESA's Columbus Control Centre, located within
the German space agency (DLR) facilities in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, which
will be responsible for its commissioning and the coordination of science
operations onboard. The dedicated Control Centre will also manage the
European ground communications network, providing links with the US and
Russian control centres as well as with other European control and operation
centres. A network of User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs) was set up
all over Europe to facilitate the interface between the researchers and the
science payloads onboard Columbus, and to allow investigators to control
their experiments and receive real-time data on their results.
European building blocks for the station
Although Columbus is ESA's major contribution to the ISS, it is neither the
first, nor will it be the last to be launched. ESA has already provided a
Data Management System for the Russian segment (DMS-R) and several research
equipment racks already in operation, such as the Microgravity Science
Glovebox or the Minus Eighty degrees Lab for ISS freezer. Under a barter
agreement with NASA, ESA also provided the Harmony (Node 2) connecting
module, delivered by the previous shuttle flight, in October. In early March
an Ariane 5 launcher will also lift the 'Jules Verne' unmanned freighter,
the first of a series of Automated Transfer Vehicles which will serve both
for servicing and re-boost of the station. Other European contributions
scheduled in the future include the European Robotic Arm, the Node 3 module
and the Cupola observation post.
"The launch of Columbus marks the onset of a new era. We have long waited
for this moment in European human spaceflight and space-related sciences,"
said Daniel Sacotte, ESA's Director for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and
Exploration Programmes. "The first decision to study Columbus was taken back
in 1985. At that time it was planned as a contribution to NASA's Space
Station Freedom project. As the world changed, the station was redesigned
and became a truly international programme. We were able to initiate
full-scale development of Columbus some twelve years ago. Today Columbus is
a reality, a laboratory in space far more capable than what we proposed in
1985, and even than what we planned in 1995, as we benefited from the delays
in ISS assembly to improve our design and our equipment. Columbus is now a
world-class space laboratory, ready for 10 years of exciting science
experiments."
"When the hatch is opened and the astronauts enter Columbus to switch on and
commission its science payloads, this will be a great day for Europe, and I
see this day coming very soon now," said the ESA Director General,
Jean-Jacques Dordain. "It's been a long road since the early days of our
Spacelab laboratory onboard the Space Shuttle. With Columbus and the
upcoming ATVs, we've grown from the status of passenger to that of
fully-fledged partner. For the first time, a European-manned facility will
be permanently operated in orbit, under the control of a European centre.
The know-how we acquired to reach this point will be of tremendous
importance in preparing for the future of human space flight, in Earth orbit
and beyond, with our international partners. I wish to pay tribute to all
the teams at ESA and the industrial contractors in Europe for this success
as well as to ESA's Member States, which, in spite of all the changes in the
configuration of the ISS throughout the years, have lent their support to
allow ESA to become a highly trustworthy partner in this endeavour. I take
the opportunity also to acknowledge NASA, its Administrator and all his
teams involved in this extraordinary achievement, for their dedication in
maintaining a robust schedule in their difficult task of assembling the
International Space Station."
Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to undock from the ISS on 16 February and to
land back in Florida two days later.
Unlike the other crew-members of the STS-122 missions, Leopold Eyharts is
due to remain onboard the station, trading places with NASA astronaut Dan
Tani as a member of the 16th permanent crew of the ISS. While on the
station, Leopold Eyharts will proceed with the commissioning of Columbus and
the first experiments onboard. He will return to Earth in about two months
with the next shuttle flight, STS-123, currently scheduled for launch on 11
March for a 16 day mission.
Depending on traffic planning at the ISS, Leopold Eyharts could still be
onboard the ISS when the 'Jules Verne' ATV arrives, with its first load of
goods, propellant and fluids for the station. This will be another major
first for Europe's presence in outer space.
For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Office
Communication Department
Tel: +33(0)1 53 69 7299
Fax: +33(0)1 53 69 7690
[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAK729R9F_index_1.html ]
Press Release No. 7-2008
Paris, France 7 February 2008
Europe's Columbus laboratory leaves Earth
Columbus, ESA's advanced science laboratory in space, has just been launched
into orbit and is now on its way to dock with the International Space
Station (ISS).
Columbus was onboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis when it lifted off from
the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 20:45 CET [1945 UTC]
today. For this one-way trip to Earth orbit, Columbus is in the expert hands
of a crew of seven astronauts, including two members of the European
astronaut corps: Leopold Eyharts of France and Hans Schlegel of Germany.
Whereas Hans Schlegel will return to Earth after the 12-day Shuttle mission
is over, Leopold Eyharts will stay on the ISS for over two more months to
supervise the in-orbit commissioning of ESA's Columbus laboratory and its
experimental facilities and to perform a programme of experiments.
On Saturday 9 February at 18:23 CET [1723 UTC] Space Shuttle Atlantis will
dock with the ISS. On the following day, the space station's Canadarm2
robotic arm will remove the Columbus module from the shuttle's cargo bay and
dock it to the starboard hatch of the Harmony (Node 2) module. Two
spacewalking astronauts, including Hans Schlegel, will assist the manoeuvre.
Once the module is docked safely, its commissioning will begin under the
responsibility of Leopold Eyharts, who will become part of the ISS resident
crew. Science experiments onboard Columbus will start within a few hours.
Two more spacewalks are planned while Atlantis is docked to the ISS,
including a second one with Hans Schlegel and a NASA astronaut to install
external science payloads and handrails on the Columbus module.
An advanced laboratory for in-orbit science
As a state-of-the-art research facility, the Columbus laboratory is the
cornerstone of Europe's contribution to the ISS. Once attached to the
orbital outpost, this 7-m long, 12.8-tonne module will provide a shirtsleeve
environment for astronauts to operate science equipment and conduct
experiments in weightlessness across a wide range of topics in life
sciences, human physiology, biology, fluid physics, material sciences,
technology and education. It will also feature external accommodation for
experiments focusing on space science, Earth observation, materials and
advanced space technologies.
With the launch and docking of Columbus, ESA also becomes responsible for
the operations and utilisation of the ISS and will thus be entitled to fly
its own astronauts for long-duration missions as members of the resident ISS
crew, with an actual share proportionate to Europe's investment in the
international facility.
Columbus carries 2.5 tonnes of science payloads, consisting of five internal
racks housing integrated or modular multi-user research facilities --
Biolab, the Fluid Science Laboratory, the European Physiology Modules, the
European Drawer Rack and the European Transport Carrier. Two more payloads
are carried separately in the cargo bay of the Shuttle and will be mounted
on Columbus's external platforms: the Solar observatory and the European
Technology Exposure Facility. More internal and external payloads will be
added at a later stage.
As soon as it is connected to the ISS, the European space laboratory will be
monitored and controlled by ESA's Columbus Control Centre, located within
the German space agency (DLR) facilities in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, which
will be responsible for its commissioning and the coordination of science
operations onboard. The dedicated Control Centre will also manage the
European ground communications network, providing links with the US and
Russian control centres as well as with other European control and operation
centres. A network of User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs) was set up
all over Europe to facilitate the interface between the researchers and the
science payloads onboard Columbus, and to allow investigators to control
their experiments and receive real-time data on their results.
European building blocks for the station
Although Columbus is ESA's major contribution to the ISS, it is neither the
first, nor will it be the last to be launched. ESA has already provided a
Data Management System for the Russian segment (DMS-R) and several research
equipment racks already in operation, such as the Microgravity Science
Glovebox or the Minus Eighty degrees Lab for ISS freezer. Under a barter
agreement with NASA, ESA also provided the Harmony (Node 2) connecting
module, delivered by the previous shuttle flight, in October. In early March
an Ariane 5 launcher will also lift the 'Jules Verne' unmanned freighter,
the first of a series of Automated Transfer Vehicles which will serve both
for servicing and re-boost of the station. Other European contributions
scheduled in the future include the European Robotic Arm, the Node 3 module
and the Cupola observation post.
"The launch of Columbus marks the onset of a new era. We have long waited
for this moment in European human spaceflight and space-related sciences,"
said Daniel Sacotte, ESA's Director for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and
Exploration Programmes. "The first decision to study Columbus was taken back
in 1985. At that time it was planned as a contribution to NASA's Space
Station Freedom project. As the world changed, the station was redesigned
and became a truly international programme. We were able to initiate
full-scale development of Columbus some twelve years ago. Today Columbus is
a reality, a laboratory in space far more capable than what we proposed in
1985, and even than what we planned in 1995, as we benefited from the delays
in ISS assembly to improve our design and our equipment. Columbus is now a
world-class space laboratory, ready for 10 years of exciting science
experiments."
"When the hatch is opened and the astronauts enter Columbus to switch on and
commission its science payloads, this will be a great day for Europe, and I
see this day coming very soon now," said the ESA Director General,
Jean-Jacques Dordain. "It's been a long road since the early days of our
Spacelab laboratory onboard the Space Shuttle. With Columbus and the
upcoming ATVs, we've grown from the status of passenger to that of
fully-fledged partner. For the first time, a European-manned facility will
be permanently operated in orbit, under the control of a European centre.
The know-how we acquired to reach this point will be of tremendous
importance in preparing for the future of human space flight, in Earth orbit
and beyond, with our international partners. I wish to pay tribute to all
the teams at ESA and the industrial contractors in Europe for this success
as well as to ESA's Member States, which, in spite of all the changes in the
configuration of the ISS throughout the years, have lent their support to
allow ESA to become a highly trustworthy partner in this endeavour. I take
the opportunity also to acknowledge NASA, its Administrator and all his
teams involved in this extraordinary achievement, for their dedication in
maintaining a robust schedule in their difficult task of assembling the
International Space Station."
Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to undock from the ISS on 16 February and to
land back in Florida two days later.
Unlike the other crew-members of the STS-122 missions, Leopold Eyharts is
due to remain onboard the station, trading places with NASA astronaut Dan
Tani as a member of the 16th permanent crew of the ISS. While on the
station, Leopold Eyharts will proceed with the commissioning of Columbus and
the first experiments onboard. He will return to Earth in about two months
with the next shuttle flight, STS-123, currently scheduled for launch on 11
March for a 16 day mission.
Depending on traffic planning at the ISS, Leopold Eyharts could still be
onboard the ISS when the 'Jules Verne' ATV arrives, with its first load of
goods, propellant and fluids for the station. This will be another major
first for Europe's presence in outer space.
For further information, please contact:
ESA Media Relations Office
Communication Department
Tel: +33(0)1 53 69 7299
Fax: +33(0)1 53 69 7690
[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAK729R9F_index_1.html ]