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| Leonardo - An Italian Space Veteran |
| Overview |
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The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) acts as a moving van for the International Space Station Program, carrying laboratory racks with science equipment as well as racks and platforms filled with bags of experiments and supplies to and from the orbiting laboratory. Leonardo is mounted in Discovery's payload bay for launch and remains there until after the shuttle docks with the space station. Discovery's astronauts will use the shuttle's robotic arm to remove Leonardo from the payload bay and attach it to the space station's Unity Node for unloading. Aboard Leonardo are six Resupply Stowage Racks, four Resupply Stowage Platforms, and two new scientific experiment racks for the station's U.S. laboratory Destiny. The two new science racks (EXPRESS Racks 4 and 5) will add science capability to the station. EXPRESS stands for Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station. EXPRESS Rack 4 weighs 1,175 pounds and EXPRESS Rack 5 weighs 1,200 pounds. The empty weight of each EXPRESS rack is about 785 pounds. EXPRESS Racks 1 and 2A were delivered aboard the Raffaello cargo module during STS-100/6A in April 2001. EXPRESS Rack 3 is scheduled to be brought to the station during STS-111/UF-2 in 2002. The Resuppy Stowage Racks and Resupply Stowage Platforms are filled with Cargo Transfer Bags that contain equipment and supplies for the station. The six Resuppply Stowage Racks contain almost 3,200 pounds of cargo and the four Resupply Stowage Platforms contain about 1,200 pounds of cargo, not including the weight of the Cargo Transfer Bags, the foam packing around the cargo or the straps and fences that hold the bags in place. The total weight of cargo, racks and packing material aboard Leonardo is just over 11,000 pounds. Total cargo weight is about 6,775 pounds. Leonardo's cargo includes equipment required for activation of the two new science racks, a variety of spare parts for station systems, and food and other supplies to support the Expedition Three crew. After the cargo is removed, the Resupply Stowage Racks and Resupply Stowage Platforms, which remain aboard Leonardo, will be filled with any unneeded station equipment and trash. Empty Cargo Transfer Bags and packing foam also will be loaded. Once filled, Leonardo will be detached from the station and put back into the shuttle's payload bay for the trip home. History/Background Construction of Leonardo began in April 1996 at the Alenia Aerospazio factory in Turin, Italy. Leonardo was flown from Italy to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in August 1998 aboard a special Beluga cargo aircraft. Although built in Italy, Leonardo and two additional MPLMs are owned by the U.S. The MPLMs were provided in exchange for Italian access to U.S. research time on the space station. The cylindrical Leonardo module is about 21 feet (6.4 meters) long and 15 feet (4.6 meters) in diameter. It weighs a little over 9,000 pounds (4.1 metric tons) empty and can carry up to 20,000 pounds (9.1 metric tons) of cargo packed into 16 standard space station equipment racks or platforms. The reusable MPLM functions as both a cargo carrier and a space station module. Leonardo contains components that provide some life support, fire detection and suppression, electrical distribution and computer functions. When in the payload bay, Leonardo is independent of the space shuttle and there is no passageway for shuttle crewmembers to travel to and from the module. Eventually, the MPLMs also will carry refrigerator freezers for transporting experiment samples and food to and from the station. Leonardo first flew to the space station aboard Discovery on STS-102/5A.1 in March 2001. The second MPLM, Raffaello, flew to the station aboard Endeavour on STS-100/6A in April 2001. |
Editorial/Technical Comments: ShuttlePresskit
