NASA gets space station component

A key piece of the Japanese contribution to the International Space Station arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on March 12. The component, the Experimental Logistics Module Pressurized Section, is part of the Japanese Experiment Module, known as Kibo. The other parts of Kibo already have been delivered. Once launched and attached to ISS, Kibo will provide capability for space medicine and biology research, Earth observation, material production, and biotechnology. The role of the newly delivered component is to provide in-orbit storage for materials, tools, and supplies; the unit is capable of holding up to eight experiment racks. Launching and assembling Kibo will require three shuttle missions, with the first of these missions scheduled for later this year.