Space Shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida’s Space Coast on Monday February 7th with a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle’s last scheduled night launch began a 13-day flight to the International Space Station and the final year of shuttle operations. Space Shuttle heading for the International Space Station carrying two sophisticated European modules:Node-3 (Tranquility) and Cupola.Their installation will mark the completion of the non-Russian part of the ISS, with more than a third of the pressurised Station elements designed and built in Europe.Node-3 is part of the Columbus laboratory launch barter agreement with NASA, whereby ESA supplies two of the connecting nodes (Nodes-2 and-3) for the ISS plus additional advanced-technology laboratory equipment and services in return for NASA launching Europe’s Columbus lab to the ISS in February 2008.Thales Alenia Space Italy developed Node-3 based on the experience acquired by it and the Italian Space Agency ASI in designing and building Node-2 and the Multipurpose Logistics Modules (MPLM), which are used to transport cargo to the ISS. Nodes-2 and -3 were built by European industry led by prime contractor Thales Alenia Space Italy.
Cupola is covered by a separate launch barter agreement in exchange for the launch and return of five ESA payloads by NASA and was also built by European industry, with Thales Alenia Space Italy as prime contractor.
Node-3 will provide more space for equipment and the astronauts. The Cupola observation module, the largest and most complex window assembly ever launched into space, will find its home on the Earth-facing port of Node-3. It will provide a unique vantage point for observing Earth and for instruments devoted to studying atmospheric phenomena affecting climate change.
Endeavour’s STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks.On Space Shuttle Commander George Zamka, joined on the flight by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken.The STS-130 mission will be Endeavour’s 24th flight and the 32nd shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
Sources: ESA, NASA.
Node-3 and Cupola: Italian technology to complete the ISS on board of Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida’s Space Coast on Monday February 7th with a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle’s last scheduled night launch began a 13-day flight to the International Space Station and the final year of shuttle operations. Space Shuttle heading for the International Space Station carrying two sophisticated European modules:
Node-3 (Tranquility) and Cupola.
Their installation will mark the completion of the non-Russian part of the ISS, with more than a third of the pressurised Station elements designed and built in Europe.
Node-3 is part of the Columbus laboratory launch barter agreement with NASA, whereby ESA supplies two of the connecting nodes (Nodes-2 and-3) for the ISS plus additional advanced-technology laboratory equipment and services in return for NASA launching Europe’s Columbus lab to the ISS in February 2008.
Thales Alenia Space Italy developed Node-3 based on the experience acquired by it and the Italian Space Agency ASI in designing and building Node-2 and the Multipurpose Logistics Modules (MPLM), which are used to transport cargo to the ISS. Nodes-2 and -3 were built by European industry led by prime contractor Thales Alenia Space Italy.
Cupola is covered by a separate launch barter agreement in exchange for the launch and return of five ESA payloads by NASA and was also built by European industry, with Thales Alenia Space Italy as prime contractor.
Node-3 will provide more space for equipment and the astronauts. The Cupola observation module, the largest and most complex window assembly ever launched into space, will find its home on the Earth-facing port of Node-3. It will provide a unique vantage point for observing Earth and for instruments devoted to studying atmospheric phenomena affecting climate change.
Endeavour’s STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks.
On Space Shuttle Commander George Zamka, joined on the flight by Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Nicholas Patrick and Robert Behnken.
The STS-130 mission will be Endeavour’s 24th flight and the 32nd shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.
Sources: ESA, NASA.
February 9, 2010 at 2:41 pm