|
|
Article Images  Significant milestone for Columbus flight readiness  An artist's impression of Columbus, a cutaway view, the European laboratory module of the International Space Station.  On 4-5 December 2006, specialists from ESA, NASA, industry and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) met at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, for the Columbus Flight Operations Readiness Review (FORR).  Columbus Control Centre, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Under the call sign 'Munich', the Columbus Control Centre will, from 2007, be responsible for systems on board the orbiting Columbus laboratory and for European science activities on board the ISS. The centre is already building operational expertise during ESA's Astrolab Mission. ESA astronauts ready for demanding Columbus delivery mission  ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel portrayed in Houston, June 2006. Schlegel will fly on the Shuttle that will deliver the Columbus orbital laboratory to the International Space Station in 2007. Columbus activity ramps up  Having arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, the United States, the container containing Columbus laboratory is removed from the Beluga aircraft.
The Columbus laboratory is ESA's biggest contribution to the International Space Station. This laboratory will provide internal payload accommodation for various scientific experiments. The Columbus laboratory will be flown on a Space Shuttle to the ISS in the second half of 2007. Release date: 13 November 2007  |