WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Workers at the Shuttle Landing Facility watch as the canister carrying the U.S. laboratory module, intended for the International Space Station, is moved out of NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft that brought it from Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville. The lab is being transferred to the Space Station Processing Facility for pre-launch preparations. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in the areas of life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000.