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Columbus space lab set for 2007 launch to station EADS NEWS RELEASE Posted: June 3, 2006 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- A large orbital laboratory module, built by EADS as part of Europe's contribution to the International Space Station, has been delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Columbus research module - developed and produced through a ten-year initiative led by EADS SPACE Transportation - is to be launched aboard the NASA Space Shuttle in the autumn of 2007. Once docked to the International Space Station (ISS), Columbus will significantly increase the facility's capacity to carry out experimentation in biotechnology, medicine, materials sciences, fluids sciences, human sciences and applied technology. "Today's Columbus module delivery is another important step in the international exploration of space, in which EADS is proud to play a major role," said Ralph D. Crosby, Chairman and CEO of EADS North America. "Columbus represents more than 20 years of space systems' experience at EADS, including the Spacelab laboratory - which has benefited scientists and researchers worldwide during 22 flights aboard NASA Space Shuttle's missions." Under the umbrella of the European Space Agency (ESA), ten nations participated in the Columbus project, including the U.S., Germany, Italy, France and Canada. Columbus was built in the Bremen, Germany facility of EADS SPACE Transportation, and was officially handed over to the ESA on May 2 for delivery to NASA. The 8-meter-long (26-ft) Columbus module, with a launch mass of nearly 13 metric tons (28,660 lbs), was airlifted from Bremen to Florida's Kennedy Space Center by an Airbus A300-600T "Beluga" Super Transporter. EADS SPACE Transportation is also responsible for the training of astronauts who will conduct in-orbit experiments aboard the Columbus module. Crew training is currently underway at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, utilizing a simulator provided by EADS SPACE Transportation in 2002. A second identical trainer was delivered to NASA's astronaut training facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in early 2003. EADS is involved in numerous other projects connected with the International Space Station's build-up and operation. Houston-based Astrium North America, which is EADS SPACE's operating entity in the United States, provides development and supply services for the station, while EADS SPACE is also prime contractor for the large unmanned Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) that will carry around 8 metric tons (17,000 lbs) of supplies and fuel to the orbital facility beginning in 2007. In addition, EADS SPACE supplies the experiment facilities and support systems used throughout the International Space Station, and is part of an industry team that developed the European Robotic Arm (ERA) - which will aid astronauts in the assembly of the station and during maintenance tasks. Together, EADS SPACE and Alcatel Alenia Space have founded the EURISS joint venture for operation and utilization of the ISS' European section. EURISS is the sole contractual partner for all industrial operations in the station's European portion, giving the joint venture a "mediator" role between the ESA and the companies that utilize this area of the ISS. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of EUR 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. EADS North America is the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $8.5 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 174,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. With 11 operating companies located in 30 cities and 15 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets. |
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Space shuttle Columbia began mission STS-61C with a beautiful sunrise launch in January 1986 after several delays. Led by commander Hoot Gibson, the astronauts deployed a commercial communications satellite and tended to numerous experiments with the Materials Science Laboratory, Hitchhiker platform and Getaway Special Canisters in the payload bay. The crew included Congressman Bill Nelson of Florida, the first U.S. Representative to fly in space. Watch this post-flight film narrated by the astronauts.
The Boeing Delta 4 rocket launches from pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the GOES-N spacecraft, beginning a new era in weather observing for the Americas.
As night fell over Kennedy Space Center on May 19, space shuttle Discovery reached launch pad 39B to complete the slow journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Discovery will be traveling much faster in a few weeks when it blasts off to the International Space Station.
The November 1985 flight of space shuttle Atlantis began with a rare nighttime blastoff. The seven-member crew, including a Mexican payload specialist, spent a week in orbit deploying three communications satellites for Australia, Mexico and the U.S. And a pair of high-visibility spacewalks were performed to demonstrate techniques for building large structures in space. The crew narrates the highlights of STS-61B in this post-flight crew film presentation.
Eight astronauts, the largest crew in history, spent a week in space during the fall of 1985 aboard shuttle Challenger for mission STS-61A, the first flight dedicated to the German Spacelab. The crew worked in the Spacelab D-1 laboratory conducting a range of experiments, including a quick-moving sled that traveled along tracks in the module. A small satellite was ejected from a canister in the payload bay as well. The astronauts narrate the highlights of the mission in this post-flight film.