Discovery mission an important step towards preparation for Columbus
Bremen/Friedrichshafen, 15 December 2006 – As German astronaut Thomas Reiter prepares for his return from the International Space Station (ISS), the research activities on board the station are proceeding apace; some of them using experimental systems designed and built by Europe’s largest space company, EADS Astrium.
“Thomas Reiter’s mission, which is now drawing to a close, and the latest flight of the US space shuttle Discovery with Swedish ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang on board are major contributions towards intensifying the research activities on the ISS and are key steps in building up the station,” EADS Astrium director Evert Dudok told journalists on Thursday evening. “In future there will seldom be a flight to or from the space station that does not carry experimental systems or experiments designed or prepared by our specialists.” The reconfiguration of the space station and the improved power supply were important preparatory steps for the flights with the ATV supply module planned for next year and the commissioning of the European space laboratory Columbus, Dudok continued. “With three launches ahead of us, we’re now fourth in line in the launch schedule, which means that we will be able to transport Columbus to the space station in about a year’s time. Once Columbus is in place on the ISS, Europe will own the world’s best research laboratory in space – built under the leadership of EADS Astrium engineers from Bremen".
EADS Astrium is making a substantial contribution to the research activities on board the ISS. Under contract to ESA, EADS Astrium built the Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI) and the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS). Both of these facilities were carried into space on Discovery’s last flight (launched 4 July). One of the people who installed and handled the experimental systems was German astronaut Thomas Reiter.
The MELFI freezer enables the astronauts to preserve biological samples of human, animal and plant origin that are collected over the duration of their mission on board the ISS, so that the samples can be analysed by scientists on return to Earth. EADS Astrium designed the freezer, which can achieve temperatures as low as -80°C, to keep the samples in pristine condition for up to two years.
Like MELFI, the European Modular Cultivation System was transported to the International Space Station in July. Designed by EADS Astrium in Friedrichshafen, the EMCS is an incubator for automated processing of different organisms – from plants to aquatic micro-organisms. It has two centrifuges for investigating the effects of zero gravity as well as the influence of different gravity conditions such as those on the moon or on Mars. These findings will be used for research into better understanding of how organic processes work at cellular and genetic level, and will deliver answers to a number of medical questions. The first “consignment” for the EMCS included rock cress (Arabidopsis), whose genetic code has been fully sequenced and which is therefore “the perfect plant” for research purposes. Also on board the Discovery this time is GRAVI, an experiment that was designed in Friedrichshafen and which is the first European experiment to be carried out in the EMCS.
The aim of the experiment, developed by scientist Dominique Driss-Ecole of the Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris, is to gain conclusive evidence on how gravity affects the development of plant roots and how the plant deals with “gravity stimuli”. In order to be able to observe this under the optimum conditions, lentil seeds are now being taken to the ISS in specially adapted experimental set-ups and analysed there for several days. An EADS Astrium team from Friedrichshafen will then travel to Trondheim in Norway from 18 to 30 December to help perform the experiment from the User Support Centre located there.
The experimental unit was developed over a period of twelve months and built in co-operation with scientists from France and partners at the User Support Centre in Norway. The GRAVI experiment is the first of six European experiments developed in Friedrichshafen which will be taken to the ISS over the next two years. Their purpose is to provide more information about plant growth and cell development. As well as yielding a better understanding of environmental issues, the results of the experiments are expected to provide valuable insights into the development of plant habitats for missions to the moon or Mars.
Another item of equipment on board Discovery is a special reusable payload device for the space shuttle’s loading bay, designed and built by EADS Astrium in Bremen on behalf of NASA. Known as the Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), the device is rather like a high-tech pallet which can accommodate in a small space the entire non-pressurised cargo required for the external structure. The ICC means the space shuttle’s loading bay can be used to fuller capacity. On the current mission, STS-116, the pallet will be used to launch three miniature satellites.
EADS Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2005, EADS Astrium had a turnover of €2.7 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. It has two main business units: EADS Astrium Space Transportation, for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and EADS Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment. Its wholly owned subsidiary, EADS Astrium Services, develops and delivers satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of €34.2 billion and employed a workforce of more than 113,000.
Press Contact:
EADS Astrium, Rémi Roland +33 (0) 42 24 27 34
EADS Astrium (Ger), Mathias Pikelj +49 (0) 7545 8 9123
