Author: matze

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Originally shared by Friends of NASA

Samantha at Work in Columbus: V1 | International Space Station

European Space Agency Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy is seen working on the European Modular Cultivation System in Columbus. Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station (ISS) and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency (ESA). Like the Harmony and Tranquility modules, the Columbus laboratory was constructed in Turin, Italy by Rome based Thales Alenia Space with respect to structures and thermal control. The functional architecture (including software) of the lab was designed by EADS in Bremen, Germany where it was also integrated before being flown to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida in an Airbus Beluga. It was launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on February 7, 2008 on flight STS-122. It is designed for ten years of operation. The module is controlled by the Columbus Control Center, located at the German Space Operations Centre, part of the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany. The laboratory is a cylindrical module with two end cones. It is 4,477 mm (15 ft) in external diameter and 6,871 mm (23 ft) in overall length, excluding the projecting external experiment racks. (Source: Wikipedia)

Credit: ESA/NASA, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy

Image Date: April 16, 2015

Samantha Cristoforetti 

European Space Agency, ESA 

DLR, German Aerospace Center 

Thales 

Airbus Group 

STEM on Google+ Community 

STEM Women on G+ 

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