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28-647: ESA's Board of Directors approved the Columbus program in 1985. Like the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) and the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) resupply craft, Columbus traces its origins to Europe's Spacelab . The Columbus program was intended to supplement NASA 's Space Station Freedom . Initially the Columbus program included three flight configurations: The entire Columbus package (MTFF, APM, PPF)

56-619: A 15-20% reduction in ESA 1990-2000 spending and it was becoming increasingly clear either the German-led MTFF, Italian-led APM or French-led Hermes projects would have to be cancelled. After several budget cuts, the CNES -led Hermes program was cancelled and the polar platform was contracted separately with commonality to the French satellite Helios 2 . All that remained in the Columbus program

84-693: A combined total of 12 times. An MPLM is a large cylinder equipped with a common berthing mechanism at one end, and grapple fixtures to allow the Canadarm-2 to move it from the shuttle bay to a berthing port on the US Orbital Segment of the ISS. In order to provide power to equipment and experiments inside the MPLM during launch, the MPLM could be connected to the Shuttle's power supply by means of

112-758: Is located at an Axiom Space facility near Houston, in preparation to undergo work to become an element for the Axiom Commercial Space Station. Leonardo (ISS module) Leonardo , also known as the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) is a module of the International Space Station . It was flown into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-133 on 24 February 2011 and installed on 1 March. Leonardo

140-508: Is primarily used for storage of spares, supplies and waste on the ISS, which was until then stored in many different places within the space station. It is also the personal hygiene area for the astronauts who live in the US Orbital Segment . The Leonardo PMM was a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) before 2011, then was modified into its current configuration. It was formerly one of two MPLM used for bringing cargo to and from

168-826: The 37 Space Shuttle missions to the ISS. The basic design of the MPLM was later used as the basis for two cargo spacecraft, the European Automated Transfer Vehicle and the American Cygnus . The modules were provided to NASA under contract by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Three MPLMs were built and delivered to NASA and have names chosen by the ASI to denote some of the great talents in Italian history: Leonardo da Vinci , Raffaello and Donatello . Although built by ASI,

196-555: The Donatello MPLM with enhanced micrometeoroid / orbital debris protection and cooling systems, and leaving it attached to the ISS after the Space Shuttle fleet was retired. Costs for such MPLM modifications were estimated at $ 20M to $ 40M per unit. The MPLM would then be called a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), and it would house spare parts and supplies, allowing longer times between resupply missions. The proposal

224-458: The Multi-layer insulation (MLI) blankets from the never-flown Donatello MPLM were cannibalized for use on Leonardo . The blankets were removed and returned to Italy where they were reinforced with Nextel/ Kevlar to provide better protection against micro-meteorites. The upgraded blankets were then installed on about two-thirds of Leonardo ' s surface area. The Leonardo PMM mass

252-497: The Remotely Operated Electrical Umbilical (ROEU). The umbilical was mounted on the starboard side payload bay sidewall longeron, and was a folding arm umbilical that connected to the MPLM while it was in the payload bay. The arm was disconnected and retracted prior to the MPLM being removed for placement on the ISS and then reconnected once the MPLM was placed back inside the payload bay. Since

280-593: The Tranquility module (which is where the toilet is located) in addition to its function as a storage module it is now the personal hygiene area for the ISS astronauts in the US Orbital Segment . Astronauts have much privacy in Leonardo and do sponge baths and change their clothes here. Leonardo might also be used on Axiom Station after the ISS is decommissioned. After returning to Earth on April 20, 2010 at

308-681: The ISS with the Space Shuttle. The module was named for Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci . Like the other Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, it was constructed by the Italian Space Agency , who chose to name it after Leonardo da Vinci . Construction began in April 1996, and the module was delivered to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in August 1998 by an Airbus Beluga aircraft. A European proposal suggested equipping

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336-516: The ISS. Donatello was a more capable module than its two siblings, as it was designed to carry payloads that required continuous power from construction through to installation on the ISS. However, Donatello was never used and some of its parts were cannibalized to convert Leonardo into the PMM. With the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the Raffaello and Leonardo modules were flown

364-545: The International Space Station (ISS) was based on the APM. It was launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on February 7, 2008 on flight STS-122 . Multi-Purpose Logistics Module A Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ( MPLM ) is a large pressurized container that was used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Two MPLMs made a dozen trips in

392-493: The Italians announced that they would build a "Mini-Pressurized Logistics Module", able to carry 4,500 kilograms (4.5 t) of cargo. After the 1993 redesign of Freedom, the length was doubled and it was renamed the "Multi-Purpose Logistics Module". Each empty MPLM is approximately 21 feet (6.4 m) long, 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter, weighs 4,400 kilograms (9,700 lb), and can deliver up to nine metric tons of cargo to

420-510: The PMM was relocated from the nadir port of the Unity module to the forward-facing port of the Tranquility module. This was done in order to allow Unity 's nadir port to serve as a berthing port for resupply craft, which in turn frees up Harmony ' s zenith port for future U.S. Commercial Crew Development spacecraft. After the re-location of Leonardo from the Unity module to

448-609: The Shuttle cargo bay and initially berthed to the Unity and later the Harmony module on the ISS. Once attached, supplies were offloaded, and finished experiments and waste were reloaded. The MPLM was then transferred back into the Shuttle’s cargo bay for return to Earth. Three modules were built by Alenia Aeronautica for the Italian Space Agency (ASI). They were named Leonardo , Raffaello , and Donatello . The Leonardo module

476-405: The complete phase C/D proposal (fixed price) was delivered end 1989 by the prime contractor MBB - ERNO it turned out that the costs were much higher than expected by ESA. The Columbus budget was trimmed slightly by canceling the smaller $ 145-million Eureca B platform. Hermes and Columbus would receive final approval in 1991. By this time, the cost of German unification had forced Germany to demand

504-483: The copyright to the logo in exchange for the use of the studio's character on it. The following are the specifications of the MPLM: The Donatello MPLM has been converted by Lockheed Martin into a Habitat Ground Test Article (HGTA) Lunar habitat prototype which is located at NASA KSC. Leonardo is permanently attached to the ISS as PMM and should reenter in the atmosphere with it. Raffaello

532-844: The end of the STS-131 mission, the Leonardo MPLM was moved to the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to undergo modifications. To convert the Leonardo MPLM into the PMM, NASA made the following modifications: removal of +Y grapple fixture (Flight Releasable Grapple Fixture, or FRGF), removal of ROFU (Remotely Operated Fluid Umbilical) components, replacement of CBM seal, installation of new forward end cone MMOD shields , feed through seal replacement, and installation of visiting vehicle retro-reflectors. In addition,

560-425: The human-tended free-flyer to retrieve microgravity experiments. Since the initial plans, numerous studies and proposals were made. For development cost saving and optimization of spares provisioning during the operational phase commonality was foreseen between the flight configurations and to the space station (e.g. same computers used for all three elements, video and comms units identical to station equipment). When

588-607: The module names are also the names of three of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , the NASA MPLM Group approached Mirage Studios artist A.C. Farley to design a logo featuring Raphael in an astronaut flight suit. There were cloisonné pins produced, as well as stickers and embroidered patches. Because the Ninja Turtles were created by Mirage Studios and owned by them at the time (now owned by Paramount Global , formerly ViacomCBS, via Nickelodeon ), NASA gave Mirage

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616-629: The modules are owned by NASA. In exchange for building the MPLMs, ASI receives access to U.S. research time on the ISS. The MPLMs have a heritage that goes back to Spacelab . In addition, ESA's Columbus module, the Harmony and Tranquility ISS modules and the ATV and Cygnus resupply craft all trace their origins to the MPLMs. The MPLM concept was originally created for Space Station Freedom . Initially, they were to be built by Boeing , but in 1992,

644-491: The retirement of the Shuttle. On August 5, 2009 it was announced that STS-133 would indeed leave one MPLM permanently attached to the station. In October 2009, it was confirmed that Leonardo would be the MPLM converted to a PMM. It was launched on February 24, 2011. The PMM was transferred to the station using the Shuttle robotic arm and mated to the nadir (Earth) facing port of Unity . On May 27, 2015, at 13:08 UTC,

672-621: Was expected to cost $ 3.56 billion including launch and utilization. The estimated costs of the MTFF alone were $ 160–180 million in 1986. The MTFF element would be serviced by the Hermes spaceplane launched atop the Ariane 5 , flying periodically to the station for maintenance and reconfiguration. NASA approved the MTFF although it would require additional communications, docking facilities, data processing and other Station resources. Hermes would dock with

700-426: Was invented meaning a split systems engineering responsibility where Alenia as a co-prime is responsible for the overall Columbus configuration, the mechanical and thermal/life support systems, HFE and harness design/manufacturing whereas EADS Astrium Space Transportation is responsible for the overall Columbus design and all Avionics systems including electrical harness design and software. ESA's Columbus module on

728-578: Was modified in 2010 to turn it into the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) and was permanently attached to the ISS during the STS-133 mission in March 2011. In July 2011, the Raffaello module was the primary payload on the final Space Shuttle mission. It returned with the Shuttle and was stored at the Kennedy Space Center. The Donatello module never launched. MPLMs were flown on 12 of

756-444: Was rejected by NASA because it would require changes to existing plans and would entail additional costs. Internal discussions continued and managers considered the possibility of STS-133 , which at that time was planned to be the last Shuttle flight, leaving its MPLM permanently attached. The United Launch Alliance also published a proposal for a system that could allow additional ISS modules to be launched on an EELV even after

784-509: Was the APM, which was first renamed to "Columbus Orbital Facility" and later to just "Columbus". It was eventually redesigned to fit with the International Space Station (ISS). When only the APM was left in ESA's Columbus program, there were not enough tasks for the two main contributors Germany and Italy represented by MBB - ERNO and Alenia respectively. As compromise the Pre Integrated Columbus APM (PICA) principle

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