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| Hans Schlegel, European Space Agency astronaut |
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ESA names German radio amateur for Columbus mission
to ISS
ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel, DG1KIH, of Germany has been named today
to fly on the Space Shuttle mission that will deliver the European Space
Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station in September/October
2007.
ESA’s Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain announced the assignment
on the occasion of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official
visit to ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Veteran NASA space flier Navy Cmdr. Stephen Frick KD5DZC will command
the STS-122 Shuttle mission (orbiter Discovery), while Navy Cmdr. Alan
Poindexter will serve as pilot. Mission Specialists include Air Force
Col. Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and Leland Melvin. For Poindexter, Love
and Melvin, this will be their first spaceflight. Schlegel, a member of
the European Astronaut Corps since 1998, first flew on Shuttle mission
STS-55 (Spacelab D-2) from 26 April to 6 May 1993.
On this new mission, Schlegel will be taking on a key role: he will be
involved in the installation, fitting-out and initial commissioning of
ESA’s Columbus laboratory. Columbus is the cornerstone of Europe’s
contribution to the International Space Station and is the first European
laboratory devoted to long-term research in space.
Columbus will be transported to the Station in the cargo bay of the Shuttle
together with five internal rack facilities (Biolab, the Fluid Science
Laboratory, the European Physiology Modules facility, the European Drawer
Rack and the European Transport Carrier). The two external experiment
facilities for Columbus (EuTEF and SOLAR) will also be travelling separately
in the cargo bay and will be attached onto the outside of the laboratory
module structure during Schlegel’s flight.
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