Robby
02-19-2008, 03:24 AM
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0802/columbus_sts122.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0802/columbus_sts122_big.jpg)
Columbus Laboratory Installed on Space Station
Credit: STS-122 (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts122/) Crew, Expedition 16 (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html) Crew, ESA (http://www.esa.int/), NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: The International Space Station (ISS) has been equipped with a powerful new scientific laboratory. The Space Shuttle Atlantis (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060913.html) delivered the Columbus Laboratory (http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAAYI0VMOC_iss_0.html) to the ISS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS) and installed the seven meter long module over the past week. Columbus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_%28ISS_module%29) has ten racks for experiments that can be controlled from the station or the Columbus Control Center (http://www2.gsoc.dlr.de/columbus/home.htm) in Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany). The first set of experiments includes the Fluid Science Laboratory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_Science_Laboratory) that will explore fluid properties in the microgravity (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/research/microgex.html) of low Earth orbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit), and Biolab (http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/users/technical/experiments/rack/biolab/biolab_amb.htm) which supports experiments on microorganisms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism). Future Columbus experiments include an atomic clock (http://tf.nist.gov/cesium/fountain.htm) that will test minuscule timing effects including those expected by Einstein (http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/)'s General Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity) of Relativity. Pictured above (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-122/html/s122e008222.html), mission specialist Hans Schlegel (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schlegel.html) works on the outside of Columbus. Scientists from all over the world (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070514.html) may propose and carry out experiments to be done on the laboratory during its ten year mission.
Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse (http://www.astronet.nl/maaneclips2008/leclips2008.html) the night of Feb. 20/21.
(Via NASA (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080219.html))
Columbus Laboratory Installed on Space Station
Credit: STS-122 (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts122/) Crew, Expedition 16 (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/index.html) Crew, ESA (http://www.esa.int/), NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/)
Explanation: The International Space Station (ISS) has been equipped with a powerful new scientific laboratory. The Space Shuttle Atlantis (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060913.html) delivered the Columbus Laboratory (http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAAYI0VMOC_iss_0.html) to the ISS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS) and installed the seven meter long module over the past week. Columbus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_%28ISS_module%29) has ten racks for experiments that can be controlled from the station or the Columbus Control Center (http://www2.gsoc.dlr.de/columbus/home.htm) in Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany). The first set of experiments includes the Fluid Science Laboratory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_Science_Laboratory) that will explore fluid properties in the microgravity (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/research/microgex.html) of low Earth orbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit), and Biolab (http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/users/technical/experiments/rack/biolab/biolab_amb.htm) which supports experiments on microorganisms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism). Future Columbus experiments include an atomic clock (http://tf.nist.gov/cesium/fountain.htm) that will test minuscule timing effects including those expected by Einstein (http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/)'s General Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_relativity) of Relativity. Pictured above (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-122/html/s122e008222.html), mission specialist Hans Schlegel (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schlegel.html) works on the outside of Columbus. Scientists from all over the world (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070514.html) may propose and carry out experiments to be done on the laboratory during its ten year mission.
Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse (http://www.astronet.nl/maaneclips2008/leclips2008.html) the night of Feb. 20/21.
(Via NASA (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080219.html))