After traveling thousands of miles, two major components
of the International Space Station completed the first leg of
a journey that will eventually end 240 miles above the Earth.
NASA’s Node 2, built for the agency by the European Space
Agency (ESA) in Italy, and the Pressurized Module of the
Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) arrived in Florida and are
being transported to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) this
week.
“Delivery of these components, built in Europe and Japan, to
KSC for integrated testing prior to flight is yet another
indication of the significant global cooperation and
proactive planning required for successful operation of the
International Space Station program,” said Bill Gerstenmaier,
NASA’s Station Program Manager. “Their arrival in the United
States signifies the Space Station international partnership
is continuing to move forward with the steps necessary to
construct our unique research platform in space,” he said.
The arrival of Node 2, the next pressurized module to be
installed on the Station, sets in motion the final steps
toward completing assembly of essential U.S. components. When
installed, Node 2 will increase the living and working space
inside the Space Station to approximately 18,000 cubic feet.
It will also allow the addition of international laboratories
from Europe and Japan.
The Pressurized Module is the first element of the JEM, named
“Kibo” (Hope), to be delivered to KSC. The JEM is Japan’s
primary contribution to the Station. It will enhance the
unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by
providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct
science experiments.
The JEM also includes an exposed facility (platform) for
space environment experiments, a robotic manipulator system,
and two logistics modules. The various JEM components will be
assembled in space over the course of three Shuttle missions.
An Airbus Beluga heavy-lift aircraft, carrying Node 2,
departed May 30 from Turin, Italy, where the Italian Space
Agency’s (ASI) contractor, Alenia Spazio, built it. Following
post-transportation inspections, ASI will formally transfer
ownership of Node 2 to ESA, which, in turn, will sign it over
to NASA.
The container transport ship carrying JEM departed May 2 from
Yokohama Harbor in Japan for the voyage to the United States.
The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA)
developed the laboratory at the Tsukuba Space Center near
Tokyo.
Later this summer, integrated testing will confirm module
compatibility and, ultimately, lead to pre-launch processing
at KSC’s Space Station Processing Facility.
NASA International Space Station program managers will host a
welcoming ceremony for the modules and international partner
representatives from ESA, ASI and NASDA June 18. An
opportunity for media to interview the representatives and
take photographs of the modules will follow the ceremony.
U.S. media that desire to attend must contact the KSC Press
Site by 4 p.m. (EDT) June 16. International media must submit
credential requests by 4 p.m. (EDT) June 6.
Media who do not possess KSC credentials should submit their
request via facsimile to: 321/867-2692 and include the
following information:
- Full legal name
- Title
- Organization
- Address
- Telephone number
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Social Security number or Passport number
- Country of citizenship
For more information, please contact the KSC Press Site at:
321/867-2468.
For more information about NASA and the International Space
Station on the Internet, visit:
