Did
you know?
Not
all payloads are carried to orbit in
the Shuttle's cargo bay. In-cabin payloads are carried in
the Shuttle's middeck. Cargo bay payloads are typically large
payloads, such as satellites and Space Station modules, which
do not require a pressurized environment. In contrast, in-cabin
payloads are generally smaller, and are not usually designed
for an unpressurized environment like the cargo bay.
At SPACEHAB in Cape Canaveral, Fla., members of the STS-107
crew pose outside of the Double Module, one of the mission
payloads. A research mission, the mission will be the first
flight of the Double Module and will also carry a Hitchhiker
payload. The experiments range from material sciences to
life sciences (many rats).
|
STS-107
Payloads
SPACEHAB
Research Double Module
The SPACEHAB
Research Double Module (RDM), which is making its first flight
on STS-107, is a pressurized aluminum habitat that is carried
in Columbia's cargo bay to expand working space aboard the shuttle.
The RDM measures 6.1 meters (20 feet) long, 4.3 meters (14 feet)
wide and 3.4 meters (11 feet) high and is connected to the shuttle
middeck by a pressurized access tunnel.
Outfitted
as a state-of-the-art laboratory, it has a pressurized volume
of 62.3 cubic meters (2,200 cubic feet) and can hold up to 61
space shuttle middeck lockers. The RDM, which has a payload
capacity of 4,082 kilograms (9,000 pounds), will carry about
3,400 kilograms (7,500 pounds) of research payloads on STS-107.
An additional 363 kilograms (800 pounds) of SPACEHAB-integrated
payloads are flying on the shuttle middeck, making a total of
3,765 kilograms (8,300 pounds) of research payloads on STS-107.
SPACEHAB's
flight services contract with NASA provides the company with
12 percent of the RDM's payload capacity to sell to commercial
customers on STS-107.
FREESTAR
FREESTAR, which stands for Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling
Science Technology Applications and Research, is a payload that
will include six separate experiments mounted on a crossbay
Hitchhiker Multipurpose Equipment Support Structure in Columbia's
payload bay.
CEBAS
Closed Equilibrated
Biological Aquatic System (CEBAS): a habitat for aquatic organisms
that serves as a facility for conducting microgravity experiments
in zoology, botany, developmental biology and ecosystems research.
Live
Launch Coverage
| Mission & Crew
|
