First European Node for the International Space Station passed acceptance review

Node 2 will be formally delivered to the European Space
Agency by ASI, the Italian Space Agency in mid-May 2003.
Last week the first activity related to that delivery,
the Acceptance Review, was successfully conducted at the
Alenia Spazio facility in Turin, with the participation
of ESA, ASI and NASA.

The nodes are elements interconnecting laboratory and
habitation modules of the International Space Station.
When completed, the Station will have three nodes.
Node 1, called Unity, has already been developed and
manufactured by US industry under a NASA contract and
was launched in December 1998. It connects the Russian
Zarya module with the American Laboratory Destiny.
Nodes 2 and 3 are being made in Europe for NASA under
a barter agreement using European know-how and
technology.

Node 2 will connect the US Laboratory Destiny, the
European Columbus Laboratory, the Centrifuge
Accommodation Module, and the Japanese Experiment
Module Kibo. It also will be the attachment point
for the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), the
Japanese H II Transfer Vehicle and it will carry a
docking adapter for the US Space Shuttle. It will
control and distribute resources throughout these
Station elements and provide support to the crew and
experiments, and will also provide a working base
point for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System.

Nodes 2 and 3 are being supplied under a barter
agreement between ESA and NASA, signed on 8 October
1997 in Turin. According to this agreement ESA will
provide two nodes, additional high-technology
laboratory equipment and services to NASA. In return
the US Space Shuttle will ferry the European Columbus
Laboratory module to the Space Station on a launch
currently planned for October 2004.

Under these arrangements ESA entrusted ASI with
responsibility for management, development and
manufacture of the two nodes, which are being built
under the prime contractorship of Alenia Spazio in
Turin, leading a consortium of European industrial
companies.

This enabled Europe to take full advantage of the
experience gained by Italian industry through the
development of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
(MPLM) and synergies between the MPLM, nodes 2 and
3, and the European Columbus Laboratory module,
which all use the same structural concept, developed
by Alenia Spazio for all these contracts.

“We are very pleased to have honoured our engagement
on the construction of the first of the two
International Space Station nodes,” said Jörg
Feustel-Büechl, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight.
“Barter agreements play an important role in the Space
Station programme, serving to facilitate international
cooperation between Space Station partners. Furthermore
the construction of Station elements contributes to
economic development and provides employment for people
here in Europe”.

The construction of Node 2 is presently under
finalisation in Turin. Following the Acceptance Review,
a Transportation Readiness Review will be held in May,
as a result of the successful completion of that review,
the Node 2 will be flown to the Kennedy Space Centre,
Florida, USA, in an Airbus Beluga heavy lift vehicle.
Following post transportation inspection, the Italian
Space Agency will formally hand over Node 2 to ESA who
in turn will hand it over to NASA, which according to
the terms of the barter agreement, will then become
the final owner of this ISS element.

The completion of the Acceptance Review between ASI
and ESA will be marked by a small ceremony at 11.30
hours on 10 April at Alenia Spazio in Turin, Corso
Marche 41. Media representatives wishing to attend
are kindly requested to complete the attached
registration form and fax it to: [NOTE: Not attached –
A.Y.]

Franca Morgia
ESA/ESRIN
Tel: +39.06.9418.0951
Fax: +39.06.9418.0952

For further details on Node 2, please contact:
Alan Thirkettle
Head of the Development Department
ESA/ESTEC
Tel: +31.71.565.5030 or 3381
Fax: +31.71.565.5153

For further information on ASI, please contact:
Francesco Rea, Press Officer
Tel: +39.06.8567.235
E-mail: rea@asi.it

Related links

* ESA Human Spaceflight
http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/

* International Space Station
http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/iss.html

* Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)
http://www.asi.it/

* Registration form
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/Pr_24_2003_p_EN.html

IMAGE CAPTIONS:

[Image 1:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/SEMUR15V9ED_index_1.html]
The Node 2 connecting module for the ISS.

[Image 2:
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/SEMUR15V9ED_index_1.html#subhead1]
Node 2 Flight Unit Primary Structure (June 2001)

Node 2 controls and distributes resources from the
Truss structure and the US laboratory Destiny to the
connected elements; European Columbus Laboratory,
Centrifuge Accommodation Module, Japanese Experiment
Module (Kibo), Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and
H II Transfer Vehicle. It also provides a working
base point for the Space Station Remote Manipulator
System.

Credits: ESA