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"United States' Laboratory", QTVR file, 1.5Mb, 320x200.
| | US Laboratory
The focus of US activities on the International Space Station, the US Lab will be the site for American research, technology development and on-orbit repairs by the crew. The US Lab will contain a total of 24 racks (that is, units in which materials, experiments and equipment to run the station can be placed). Because of weight restrictions, the US Lab will be launched with only 4 racks installed. These will provide audio and video links and life support system functions. The next orbiter to be launched after the US Lab will bring additional racks for the US Lab inside a pressurized logistics module. When fully operational, the US Lab will be used to conduct research in materials and life sciences as well as in Earth observations, astrophysics and a host of other areas of scientific interest. The US Lab will also act as a coordination center for the docking of future components with the Space Station as it continues to be built up. The US Lab is constructed by the Boeing Company at facilities in Huntsville, Alabama. | |
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