number 2, march 2000 on station The Newsletter of the Directorate of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity in this issue A Year of Milestones foreword A Year of Milestones Jörg Feustel-Büechl Jörg Feustel-Büechl ESA Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity ESA Director of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity We can be certain that this is a crucial columbus year for the International Space Station, Columbus: the First Milestone 4 both in respect of the programme’s global partnership and of the many events of recent & relevant considerable importance for our European News 6 part of the programme. Globally, we are now looking forward to era the launch of Russia’s ‘Zvezda’ Service Europe’s Robotic Arm 10 Module which was originally expected to Richard H. Bentall appear last year but, owing to Proton launcher problems, was postponed. Now the Space Station Partners have agreed on a launch microgravity window of 8-14 July from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It marks an Biolab 12 important milestone in Space Station history because it will open up Pierfilippo Manieri opportunities for the first experiments aboard the Station and provide the first permanent manned capability. Continuous zvezda occupation will be achieved in the following missions before the end New Star in Orbit 14 of this year with a crew of three astronauts, taking the Station into its Christian Feichtinger operational phase even though there are many more missions to come before assembly is completed. foton-12 results These two major events will allow us to begin the New Stone, Survival & Yeast Millennium with real progress in our global partnership! experiments 17 Of course, ESA can be proud of its major contribution to this Zvezda module: the Data Management System (DMS-R) will control simulation Russia’s station elements, and provide guidance and navigation for Preparing for Space 20 the whole orbital complex. ESA, together with a European industrial Mark Mouret & Didier Schmitt consortium headed by DASA in Bremen (D) and including Belgian, Dutch and French partners, was responsible for the design, astronauts development and delivery of DMS-R. ESA has provided it in return for Input for Space 22 Russia’s docking system for the Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle, so that both sides receive important elements with no exchange of funds. Zvezda also carries Europe’s Global Time System (GTS) as the Station’s first externally-mounted experiment, broadcasting accurate Directorate of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity Direction des Vols Habité et la Microgravité FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCES & BIOTECHNOLOGY 10-15 September 2000 Sorrento, Italy Co-sponsored by ASI, CNES, CSA, DLR, ESA, NASA and NASDA Aims and Scope The Symposium intends to provide a forum for scientists from academia and industry to present and discuss recent advances in their research on gravity-dependent phenomena in Physical Sciences and Biotechnology. Results originating from theoretical work, numerical modelling, ground-based and flight investigations are solicited. The major topics include Fundamental Physics, Fluid Physics, Heat and Mass Transport Phenomena, Physical Chemistry, Fluid Thermodynamics, Thermophysical Properties of Fluids, Combustion, Solidification Physics and the Crystallisation of Inorganic Materials and Biological Macromolecules. Topics in Biology and Bioengineering, which are expected to benefit from cross-fertilisation and synergy with physicists, such as multi-phase flows and surface physical chemistry, including structured deposition of macromolecules, will also be addressed. International Scientific Committee Chairman Prof. Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry ULB Brussels, Belgium University of Texas at Austin, USA Symposium Chairman Prof. Antonio Viviani Seconda Università di Napoli Aversa, Italy Conference Secretariat Co-Chairman ESTEC Conference Bureau Prof. Francesco Gaeta P.O.Box 299 Microgravity Advanced Research 2200 AG Noordwijk and Support Centre, Naples, Italy The Netherlands Tel.: +31-(0)71-5655005 ESA Coordinator e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Olivier Minster ESA/ESTEC http://www.estec.esa.int/CONFANNOUN/ Noordwijk, The Netherlands timing and data signals to multiple users on Earth. It is a European pilot project and, just as important, a commercial project in a joint venture with industry. In a European context, we have already achieved an impressive number of milestones even before we consider the rest of the year.To begin with our Columbus general-purpose laboratory, we have recently seen the flight unit of its primary structure delivered by Alenia Aerospazio (I).This year will also see the Critical Design Review for Columbus, which then paves the way for the completion of all the remaining manufacturing tasks by prime contractor DASA (D).This same primary structure is used by Italy’s Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), for which ESA has contributed the environmental control and life support system, elements of which will also be used by Columbus. MPLM’s maiden flight aboard the Space Shuttle next Spring will provide confidence for the Columbus programme.That same ESA/D.Ducros flight will also see Umberto Guidoni becoming the first ESA astronaut aboard important organisational milestone. 5 years or so).The basic decisions the Station. Concerning the preparations for regarding operations are to be made in For our second major Station Station utilisation, our long-term efforts the March meeting of the ESA Council infrastructure contribution, the Automated towards the Microgravity Applications and, provided these decisions are positive, Transfer Vehicle (ATV), we are less Programme (MAP) are now showing the we will start the necessary procedures to advanced than Columbus because the first positive results. 24 projects were create an operations contract worth more project began later but nevertheless there recently selected and approved by our than EUR 2 billion before the 2001 are important events this year.The most committees for realisation in partnership Ministerial Meeting. So we have to aim at important is the Preliminary Design between ESA, National Agencies, research having such a contract ready by about the Review which we hope will lead to a institutes and industry, and should lead to middle of next year. consolidation of all the requirements to promising opportunities on the Space There is yet another milestone to come give to our ATV industrial consortium Station. related to the Exploitation Programme: the headed by Aerospatiale (F). There is another essential milestone to preparation for the commercial utilisation on Station We have already achieved a very come this year and that is the further of the International Space Station. And important milestone in respect of our preparation of the Exploitation Programme. there we are not yet as far along as for the -3 European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in The Ministers of the ESA Member States industrial operator, but we are Cologne.We have come to an agreement approved the first step, the so-called Early nevertheless working closely with all with all the European participants – in Activities, at their May 1999 meeting in interested parties to set up a scenario and, particular the German side, DLR – to make Brussels and we are now preparing more later on, an organisation that deals arrangements for a stronger EAC team. decisions to be taken in 2001 at the next efficiently with the commercial utilisation That team will be enriched by a number of Ministerial meeting that will lead to an of Europe’s elements. Again, of course, that representatives from National Agencies, industrial contract starting on 1 January is an activity involving our global partners primarily from DLR but also from CNES of 2002.This process is expected to produce because there are basic rules regarding France and ASI of Italy, to build up a strong an industrial group that takes over the access conditions still to be agreed upon, group in Cologne. It will have to do all the operations of all our elements in the Space but it is also an important undertaking tasks that are related to the crew onboard Station Exploitation Programme for the here in Europe to create the best the Station and, in particular, the European entire timeframe from 2002 up to the organisation and the best way for doing astronauts who will be working onboard currently planned Station end of life is business aboard the International Space at a later stage.That agreement is an 2013 (which could be prolonged by Station. I on Station no. 2, march 2000 columbus CColumbus:olumbus: thethe FFirstirst MMilestilestoneone Columbus is a general- On 28 January, ESA took possession from development of significant portions of major purpose laboratory, Alenia Spazio of the primary structure of the subsystems, thereby saving tens of millions of supporting the most Columbus module – and immediately returned Euros. sophisticated research in weightlessness for at least it to industry. At a meeting in Alenia’s Turin MPLM is making a unique contribution to 10 years.(ESA/D.Ducros) facility, representatives of ESA, the Italian space the overall Space Station logistics system, agency (ASI), Alenia and DASA (the Columbus because it is the only module capable of prime contractor) evaluated the delivering complete Payload Racks to the space The Columbus module is status of the primary structure complex. It is part of a bilateral arrangement the cornerstone of Europe’s and its associated between ASI and NASA, whereby ASI has contribution to the documentation. Following the exclusive access to certain Space Station on Station International Space Station. discussions, and an informal utilisation rights in exchange for the supply of The Flight Model’s first inspection of the actual the three MPLMs (Leonardo, Raffaello and major element is now hardware, ESA’s Columbus Donatello) to NASA. Details of the MPLM/ECLS complete project manager, Alan Thirkettle, can be found in ESA brochure BR-143 and at accepted the structure from the website 4- Silvana Rabbia, ASI’s Multi Purpose Logistics <http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/br/br.htm#BR143 >.