Columbus Reaches the Age of 1

The Columbus module was the first outpost the Europeans ever sent to orbit, and it also constituted the most important contribution they made to the International Space Station (ISS)'s scientific program. Launched on February 7th aboard the Atlantis shuttle, the expensive and crucial payload finished the final docking procedures aboard the international laboratory on February 11th, and, just a day later, the crew of the ISS entered their new compartment for the first time. Columbus is firmly attached to the starboard side of the Harmony module, and its two exterior payload bays are already used at full potential.

In addition to these two spaces, the new laboratory also has four internal working stations, which are of paramount value to the entire ISS project. Thus far, in just one year of operation, scientists working in this module have collected important scientific data about plant biology, exobiology, solar physics, human physiology, as well as fluid sciences. After the Columbus was first attached to its new home, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Leopold Eyharts spent approximately seven weeks in space, getting the module ready for use and even initiating some scientific experiments himself.

“Columbus provides ESA with its very own piece of orbital infrastructure. This allows us to perform our own ISS utilization program; it also gives Europe's Astronaut Corps flight opportunities and it provides us with invaluable experience in the operation of a human spaceflight infrastructure,” the ISS Program Manager at ESA, Bernardo Patti, shares.

“We are very happy and proud of what has been achieved so far. It should not be considered as the completion of a phase of the ISS Programme, but rather today's celebration is just the start of the Columbus journey,” he adds.

“In view of the very limited crew resources so far, we can be quite happy with what Columbus has achieved scientifically in this first year, both in terms of yield, but also in terms of relative success. We have also demonstrated that we can maintain and upgrade the facilities; that they really are modular and adaptable to any experiment through software updates or whatever it takes,” the ESA's Head of ISS Utilization Department, Martin Zell, points out.