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Destiny Laboratory Module
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Date:
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February 7, 2001
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Location: |
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
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Flight:
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5A (STS-98) |
Vehicle: |
Space Shuttle Atlantis |
Designation: |
U.S. Laboratory |
Rationale: |
Provides initial U.S. user capability. Launched with five system racks already
installed inside of the module. Control Moment Gyroscopes are activated with
delivery of electronics in lab, providing electrically powered attitude control.
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The Laboratory Module is the centerpiece of the International Space Station, where
unprecedented science experiments will be performed in the near-zero gravity of
space.
The aluminum module is 8.5 metres (28 feet) long and 4.3 metres (14 feet) in diameter.
The lab consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will
be mated to other station components. A 50.9-centimetre- (20-inch-) diameter window
is located on one side of the center module segment. This pressurized module is
designed to accommodate pressurized payloads. It has a capacity of 24 rack
locations. Payload racks will occupy 13 locations especially designed to support
experiments.
8.5 metres (28 feet) long, 4.3 (14 feet) in diameter. Fabricated of aluminum.
An exterior waffle pattern strengthens the hull of the lab. The exterior is
covered by a debris shield blanket made of a material similar to that used in
bulletproof vests on Earth. A thin aluminum debris shield will then be placed over
the blanket for additional protection.
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