Columbus (ISS module)

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The Columbus Module attached to the International Space Station

Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station (ISS). It is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA). Like the Harmony Module, the Columbus laboratory was constructed in Turin, Italy by Rome based Alcatel Alenia Space. The lab was then integrated in Germany by EADS before being flown to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in an Airbus Beluga. It was launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on February 7, 2008 on flight STS-122. It is designed for ten years of operation. The module is controlled by the Columbus Control Centre, located at the German Space Operations Centre, part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany. The European Space Agency has spent about $2 billion on building Columbus, including the experiments that will fly in it and the ground control infrastructure necessary to operate them.^[1]

[edit] Description

The laboratory is a cylindrical module with two end cones. It is approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter and 23 feet (7.0 m) long. Its shape is very similar to that of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, since both were designed to fit in the cargo bay of a Space Shuttle orbiter. The starboard end cone contains most of the laboratory's on-board computers. The port end cone contains the Common Berthing Mechanism.

[edit] Construction

Columbus at Kennedy Space Center

ESA chose EADS Astrium Space Transportation as prime contractor for Columbus. The Columbus flight structure, the micro-meteorite protection system, the active and passive thermal control, the environmental control, the harness and all the related ground support equipment were designed and qualified by Alcatel Alenia Space in Turin, Italy as defined by the PICA - Principle (for definition see History below); the related hardware was pre-integrated and sent as PICA in September 2001 to Bremen. The lab was then fully integrated and qualified on system level at the EADS Astrium Space Transportation facilities in Bremen, Germany.

[edit] Launch, berthing and outfitting

Columbus installed in Atlantis's payload bay in preparation for launch.

In November 2007, Columbus was moved out of the KSC Space Station Processing Facility, and installed into the payload bay of the Atlantis orbiter for launch on ISS assembly flight 1E.^[2][3] During cryo-filling of the space shuttle External Tank (ET) with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen prior to the first launch attempt on December 6, 2007, two of four LH2 ECO sensors failed a test. Mission rules called for at least three of the four sensors to be in working order for a launch attempt to proceed. As a result of the failure, the Launch Director Doug Lyons postponed the launch, initially for 24 hours. This was later revised into a 72 hour delay, resulting in a next launch attempt set for Sunday December 9, 2007. This launch attempt was scrubbed when one of the ECO sensors again failed during fueling.

The ECO sensors external connector was changed on the space shuttle external tank, causing a two month delay in the launch. Columbus was finally launched successfully on the third attempt at 2:45pm EST, February 7, 2008. Once at the station, the SSRMS removed Columbus from the docked shuttle's cargo bay and attached it to the starboard hatch of Harmony (also known as Node 2), with the cylinder pointing outwards on February 11, 2008.^[4]

[edit] Research activities and payloads

Activities in the lab are on the ground by the Columbus Control Centre (at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany) and by the associated User Support Operations Centres throughout Europe.

The laboratory can accommodate ten active International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs) for science payloads. Agreements with NASA allocate to ESA 51% usage of the Columbus Laboratory.^[5] ESA is thus allocated five active rack locations, with the other five being allocated to NASA. Four active rack locations are on the forward side of the deck, four on the aft side, and two are in overhead locations. Three of the deck racks are filled with life support and cooling systems. The remaining deck rack and the two remaining overhead racks are storage racks.

In addition, four external payloads can be attached outside the starboard cone. Each external payload is mounted on an adaptor able to accommodate small instruments and experiments totalling up to 500 lb (227 kg).^[6]

External payloads SOLAR and EuTEF installed on LCC-lite cargo carrier prior to launch on shuttle mission STS-122.

The following European ISPRs have been initially installed inside Columbus:

1. Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL)
2. European Physiology Modules (EPM)
3. Biolab
4. European Drawer Rack (EDR)
5. European Stowage Rack

The first external payloads were mounted on Columbus by crew members Hans Schlegel and Rex Walheim, during the third EVA on the STS-122 mission. The two payloads mounted are:

1. European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF)
2. Solar Monitoring Observatory (SOLAR)

Planned additional external payloads:

1. Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES)
2. MISSE-6 (NASA payload)

[edit] History

Columbus's position on the ISS

ESA's Board of Directors approved the Columbus program in 1985. From then on, numerous studies and proposals were made.

Initially the Columbus program included 3 flight configurations: a Man-tended Free-Flyer (MTFF) element serviced by the Hermes shuttle and flying periodically to the station for maintenance and reconfiguration, an Attached Pressurized Module (APM), and a Polar Platform (PPF). For development cost saving and optimization of spares provisioning during the operational phase commonality was foreseen between the flight configurations and to the space station (e.g. same computers used for all three elements, video and comms units identical to station equipment).

When the complete phase C/D proposal (Fixed Price) was delivered end 1989 by the prime contractor MBB-ERNO it turned out that the costs were much higher than expected by ESA.

The Columbus logo

After several budget cuts (and cancellation of the CNES-led Hermes program), all that remained in the Columbus program was the APM, renamed to Columbus Orbital Facility (Note: later it was renamed to just Columbus being the present formal name); the polar platform was contracted separately with commonality to the French satellite HELIOS.

When only the APM was left in the program there were not enough tasks for the two main contributors Germany and Italy represented by MBB-ERNO and Alenia respectively. As compromise the PICA (Pre Integrated Columbus APM) - Principle was invented meaning a split systems engineering responsibility where Alenia as a Co-prime is responsible for the overall Columbus configuration, the mechanical and thermal/life support systems, HFE and harness design/manufacturing whereas EADS Astrium Space Transportation is responsible for the overall Columbus design and all Avionics systems including electrical harness design and software^[7]. Splitting off systems engineering responsibility and harness design under separate fixed-price contracts was found not to be advantageous with respect to efficiency and fast decision making as financial reasonings were pre-dominant in the last phase of development and verification.

Loading of Columbus at the Bremen airport

On May 27, 2006 Columbus was flown from Bremen to Kennedy Space Center on board an Airbus Beluga.

The structure used is based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, a module built for NASA by Thales Alenia Space. In 2000 the pre-integrated module (structure including harness and tubing) was delivered to Bremen in Germany by the Co-prime contractor Alenia. The final integration and system testing was performed by the overall prime contractor EADS Astrium Space Transportation, after that the initial Payload was integrated and the overall complement checked-out.

The final schedule was much longer than originally planned due to development problems (several caused by the complex responsibility splitting between the Co-prime and the Overall prime contractor) and design changes introduced by ESA but being affordable due to the Shuttle problems delaying the Columbus launch for several years. The main design change was the addition of the External Payload Facility (EPF), which was driven by the different European Payload organizations being more interested in outer space than internal experiments. Also the addition of a terminal for direct communications to/from ground, which could have been used also as back-up for the ISS system, was studied but not implemented for cost reasons.

[edit] Specifications

• Length: 23 feet (7.0 m)
• Diameter: 15 feet (4.6 m)
• Launch mass with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) payload: 28,000 pounds (12,700 kg)
• Total on-orbit mass incl. 23,000 pounds (10,400 kg) payload: 43,000 pounds (19,500 kg)

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Columbus (ISS module)

• ESA: Columbus Laboratory
• ESA: Technical specifications of the Columbus Laboratory
• ESA: Columbus structure completed
• ESA's Columbus blog

v • d • e Components of the International Space Station
In orbit	Zarya (Functional Cargo Block) · Unity (Node 1) · Zvezda (Service Module) · Destiny (Lab) · Quest Joint Airlock · Pirs docking module · Harmony (Node 2) · Columbus (Lab)
Launched periodically	Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules
Scheduled for Shuttle	Kibō · SPDM · Node 3 · Cupola · Docking Cargo Module · ExPRESS Logistics Carriers (Total 5)
Scheduled for Proton	Multipurpose Laboratory Module · European Robotic Arm
Other subsystems	Integrated Truss Structure · Canadarm2 · External Stowage Platforms · Pressurized Mating Adapters
Canceled or unused	Centrifuge Accommodations Module · Interim Control Module · Universal Docking Module · Docking and Stowage Module · Habitation Module · Crew Return Vehicle · Propulsion Module · Science Power Platform · Russian Research Module
Support vehicles	Space Shuttle · Soyuz · Progress · Automated Transfer Vehicle · H-II Transfer Vehicle · Dragon · Orion
See also	ISS assembly · Assembly sequence