WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

In the last light before nightfall, workers watch as others check the fittings on the cranes lowering the container that encases U.S. laboratory module onto the bed of a trailer, waiting with its lights on for the move to the Space Station Processing Facility. Intended for the International Space Station, the lab is scheduled to undergo pre-launch preparations before its 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.