This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7236715.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Shuttle docks with Space Station | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Space shuttle Atlantis has docked at the International Space Station (ISS), where it is to deliver Europe's Columbus science laboratory. | |
| Columbus is the first part of the ISS that the European Space Agency will control, from a station in Germany. | Columbus is the first part of the ISS that the European Space Agency will control, from a station in Germany. |
| Its installation will mean Esa becomes a full member of the orbital project. | Its installation will mean Esa becomes a full member of the orbital project. |
| The Columbus laboratory cost about $2bn and has room for three researchers in fields ranging from crop breeding to the development of advanced alloys. | The Columbus laboratory cost about $2bn and has room for three researchers in fields ranging from crop breeding to the development of advanced alloys. |
| Inspection | Inspection |
| Before docking, the crew guided Atlantis in a back-flip manoeuvre that will allow crew on the space station to photograph the shuttle's protective heat-resistant tiles. | |
| COLUMBUS FACTS Total length - 6.8mDiameter - 4.5mVolume - 75 cu mLaunch mass - 12.8tOperation - 3 crewCabin temp - 16-27CTotal power - 20kW Columbus: Sky-high science Building Columbus Installing Columbus Inside Columbus Engineers on earth will check for any possible damage that may have been done to the tiles during take-off: a routine safety measure since the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entering the earth's atmosphere in 2003. | |
| The 7m-long (24ft), 4.5m-wide (14ft), 12.8-tonne laboratory will be manoeuvred into position by the shuttle's robotic arm, and docked to the station's Harmony Node 2 connector. | The 7m-long (24ft), 4.5m-wide (14ft), 12.8-tonne laboratory will be manoeuvred into position by the shuttle's robotic arm, and docked to the station's Harmony Node 2 connector. |
| Hans Schlegel, the German Esa astronaut on the flight, will play a key role in this process, carrying out two spacewalks to get the job done. | Hans Schlegel, the German Esa astronaut on the flight, will play a key role in this process, carrying out two spacewalks to get the job done. |
| Esa colleague Leopold Eyharts will be staying on the station to commission Columbus, a process that should take a few weeks to complete fully. | Esa colleague Leopold Eyharts will be staying on the station to commission Columbus, a process that should take a few weeks to complete fully. |
| Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, and is due to return to earth on Monday. | Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, and is due to return to earth on Monday. |
| Once the lab is in place, an intensive programme of research in weightless surroundings will begin. | Once the lab is in place, an intensive programme of research in weightless surroundings will begin. |
| The experiments will also help researchers better understand the physiological demands of long-duration spaceflight, something that will be important if humans are ever to colonise the Moon or travel to Mars. | The experiments will also help researchers better understand the physiological demands of long-duration spaceflight, something that will be important if humans are ever to colonise the Moon or travel to Mars. |