European space laboratory to get first experiments

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Astronauts and ground control teamshustled to get Europe's newly delivered space laboratoryprepared for science experiments on Thursday as NASA ironed outplans for a final spacewalk by the shuttle Atlantis crew.

The European Space Agency's $1.9 billion (964.6 millionpound) Columbus module was ferried into orbit aboard theshuttle last week and installed during the first of threespacewalks planned during Atlantis' nine-day visit to theInternational Space Station.

"I cannot yet believe Columbus is in orbit," the EuropeanSpace Agency director general, Jean Jacques Dordain, told theastronauts.

During the call, German Chancellor Angela Merkelcongratulated German astronaut Hans Schlegel, a member of theshuttle Atlantis crew, on his first spacewalk on Wednesday.

"It was the first time I saw the Earth from outside thevehicle. The colours are very vivid," said Schlegel, who waspulled from an earlier spacewalk due to an undisclosed medicalcondition.

"It is very important that humankind continues research inspace and has an opportunity to go to space and see thebeautiful Earth," he said.

During the final spacewalk of the mission, scheduled forFriday, astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love will attach asolar telescope and a materials science experiment to theoutside of the new European laboratory.

They also plan to inspect a corroded joint that hasprompted NASA to lock one of the station's two solar powerwings into place and check whether a small hole in a handrailis what had ripped astronauts' gloves during spacewalks.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, meanwhile, waspreparing for the next shuttle launch on March 11 in whichShuttle Endeavour will carry the first part of Japan's Kibolaboratory complex into orbit. The shuttle is scheduled to berolled out to the launch pad on Monday.

NASA wants to carry out nine more shuttle missions tocomplete construction of the $100 billion space station and tworesupply flights before the fleet is retired in 2010. Theagency also plans a final servicing call to the Hubble SpaceTelescope in September.

(Editing by Michael Christie)

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