Space Station gets New Supply Closet
NewsCentral Staff
Story Created:
Mar 1, 2011 at 6:16 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 1, 2011 at 6:16 PM EDT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The International Space Station has a new supply closet.
Astronauts attached a 21-foot-long compartment today using the station's robot arm. It's the 13th room on the orbiting outpost and the only one devoted entirely to storage.
It came packed with goods and a humanoid robot. However, Robonaut 2 will stay packed until May, when astronauts will test it as a potential astronaut helper.
The new compartment was built in Italy and is named Leonardo, after Leonardo da Vinci.
Space station commander Scott Kelly says the additional storage is "much needed." The absence of visiting shuttles after this summer will make it harder to clear out the space station. Every time a shuttle returns from the station, it's loaded down with trash and discarded items.
Online: NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission(underscore)pages/shuttle/main/index.html
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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