About the Astrolab Mission
The Astrolab Mission is Europe’s first long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). For the journey to the ISS, German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter joins the crew of the STS-121 mission, which will launch on Space Shuttle Discovery in July.
Thomas Reiter will live and work on board the ISS for five months, returning to Earth with the STS-116 Shuttle flight, currently scheduled for December.
French ESA astronaut Leopold Eyharts is the back-up astronaut for the mission. In this role Eyharts has completed the same training programme as Thomas Reiter, and is ready to replace him on the STS-121 flight if needed, for example if Reiter should fall ill.
The mission is covered by an agreement between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). The agreement, which covers the ESA astronaut’s flight in a crew position originally planned for a Russian cosmonaut, is further supported by a tri-lateral understanding between ESA, Roscosmos and NASA.
Mission highlights
The Astrolab Mission will mark many important milestones for the European Space Agency, European astronauts, European science and European Control Centres.
* First ESA astronaut to become a member of an ISS Expedition crew
Shortly after arrival at the ISS, Thomas Reiter will join the Expedition 13 crew as Flight Engineer 2. In this role he will take on many vital tasks which contribute to the running and maintenance of the Space Station. Reiter will continue these tasks after the crew exchange between Expedition 13 and Expedition 14 in September 2006.
* First ESA astronaut to undertake a spacewalk from the ISS
Thomas Reiter is currently scheduled to take part in a spacewalk, or Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), from the ISS in July – although Reiter previously undertook two spacewalks during his Euromir 95 mission in 1996, this will be the first spacewalk from the ISS for an ESA astronaut.
* First long-duration European experiment programme on the ISS
The Astrolab Mission marks the first time that a European scientific programme has been assembled for a long-duration mission. The programme comes predominantly from scientific institutions across Europe, and includes experiments in human physiology, biology, physics and radiation dosimetry. Further activities focus on technology demonstrations, industrial experiments and education.
* Delivery and commissioning of European experiment facilities
Space Shuttle Discovery will also bring three ESA-developed experiment facilities and devices to the International Space Station:
- Minus 80 degrees Laboratory Freezer for the ISS (MELFI)
- European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS)
- Percutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulator (PEMS)
This equipment will be commissioned during the Astrolab Mission, along with the Pulmonary Function System (PFS), an ESA facility already on board the Station.
* Return to a three member ISS Expedition crew
The arrival of Thomas Reiter at the ISS marks the return from a two-member to a three-member Expedition crew. Expedition crews were reduced from three to two following the Columbia Space Shuttle accident in February 2003.
* First European Control Centre for long-duration ISS mission
Europe’s control centre for the Astrolab Mission will be based at the Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich, in Germany. The control centre will be the hub of European activity during the mission, with tasks such as:
- Monitoring and coordinating Reiter’s activities
- Coordinating with Russian and American mission control centres
- Coordinating with the European Astronaut Centre, in Cologne, Germany
- Coordinating with User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs) throughout Europe
The Astrolab Mission will provide Europe with invaluable experience of long-term scientific utilisation of the ISS in advance of the launch of the European Columbus laboratory.
Last update: 15 June 2006
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