ESA has a long history of participation in Space Shuttle flights with an emphasis on microgravity research – from the early days of Spacelab to the more recent Neurolab/STS-95 missions.
The multi-disciplinary research programme onboard Columbia for STS-107 will be performed inside a Spacehab Double Research Module, carried in the Shuttle’s cargo bay. The concept and the technology of Spacehab are derived from the European Spacelab programme.
The image above shows the view from the Space Shuttle’s cabin towards the Spacehab science module during the 16-day Neurolab research mission in the spring of 1998.