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Paris, 8 April 2003
Press Release
Nx 24-2003

First European Node for the International Space Station passed
acceptance review

Node 2 will be formally delivered to the European Space Agency by
ASI, the Italian Space Agency in mid-May 2003. Last week the first
activity related to that delivery, the Acceptance Review, was
successfully conducted at the Alenia Spazio facility in Turin, with
the participation of ESA, ASI and NASA.

The nodes are elements interconnecting laboratory and habitation
modules of the International Space Station. When completed, the
Station will have three nodes. Node 1, called Unity, has already been
developed and manufactured by US industry under a NASA contract and
was launched in December 1998. It connects the Russian Zarya module
with the American Laboratory Destiny. Nodes 2 and 3 are being made in
Europe for NASA under a barter agreement using  European know-how and
technology. 

Node 2 will connect the US Laboratory Destiny, the European Columbus
Laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module, and the Japanese
Experiment Module Kibo. It also will be the attachment point for the
Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), the Japanese H II Transfer
Vehicle and it will carry a docking adapter for the US Space Shuttle.
It will control and distribute resources throughout these Station
elements and provide support to the crew and experiments, and will
also provide a working base point for the Space Station Remote
Manipulator System.

Nodes 2 and 3 are being supplied under a barter agreement between ESA
and NASA, signed on 8 October 1997 in Turin. According to this
agreement ESA will provide two nodes, additional high-technology
laboratory equipment and services to NASA. In return the US Space
Shuttle will ferry the European Columbus Laboratory module to the
Space Station on a launch currently planned for October 2004.

Under these arrangements ESA entrusted ASI with responsibility for
management, development and manufacture of the two nodes, which are
being built under the prime contractorship of Alenia Spazio in Turin,
leading a consortium of European industrial companies.

This enabled Europe to take full advantage of the experience gained
by Italian industry through the development of the Multi-Purpose
Logistics Module (MPLM) and synergies between the MPLM, nodes 2 and
3, and the European Columbus Laboratory module, which all use the
same structural concept, developed by Alenia Spazio for all these
contracts. 

"We are very pleased to have honoured our engagement on the construction
of the first of the two International Space Station nodes" said Jörg
Feustel-Büechl, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight. "Barter agreements
play an important role in the Space Station programme, serving to
facilitate international cooperation between Space Station partners.
Furthermore the construction of Station elements contributes to
economic development and provides employment for people here in
Europe". 

The construction of Node 2 is presently under finalisation in Turin.
Following the Acceptance Review, a Transportation Readiness Review
will be held in May, as a result of the successful completion of that
review, the Node 2 will be flown to the Kennedy Space Centre,
Florida, USA, in an Airbus Beluga heavy lift vehicle. Following post
transportation inspection, the Italian Space Agency will formally
hand over Node 2 to ESA who in turn will hand it over to NASA, which
according to the terms of the barter agreement, will then become the
final owner of this ISS element. 

The completion of the Acceptance Review between ASI and ESA will be
marked by a small ceremony at 11.30 hours on 10 April at Alenia
Spazio in Turin, Corso Marche 41. Media representatives wishing to
attend are kindly requested to complete the attached registration
form and fax it to: 

Franca Morgia
ESA/ESRIN
Tel: +39.06.9418.0951
Fax: +39.06.9418.0952

For further details on Node 2, please contact :
Alan Thirkettle
Head of the Development Department
ESA/ESTEC
Tel: +31.71.565.5030 or 3381
Fax: +31.71.565.5153

For further information on ASI, please contact :
Francesco Rea, Press Officer
Tel: +39.06.8567.235
E-mail : rea{at}asi.it
 
_____________________________________________________________________

Delivery of Node 2 to ESA
Alenia Spazio, Turin (Italy)
Corso Marche 41


 
First name: _________________ Surname: _____________________________ 

Media: _____________________________________________________________ 

Address: ___________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________ 

____________________________________________________________________ 

Tel.:___________________________ Fax: ______________________________ 

Mobile:________________________ E-mail: ____________________________ 
 

Please fax to: 

Franca Morgia
ESA/ESRIN
Tel: +39.06.9418.0951
Fax: +39.06.9418.0952

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