Allard Beutel<br />Headquarters, Washington June 18, 2003<br />(Phone: 202/358-4769)<br /><br /><br />Bruce Buckingham <br />Kennedy Space Center, Fla. <br />(Phone: 321/867-2468) <br /> <br />Kylie Moritz <br />Johnson Space Center, Houston <br />(Phone: 281/483-5111)<br /><br /><br />RELEASE: 03-200<br /><br /><br />NASA RECEIVES KEYS TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MODULE<br /><br /><br /> Two cornerstone components for future research and <br />operations aboard the International Space Station are ready <br />to begin integrated testing at the Kennedy Space Center <br />(KSC). <br /><br /><br />The European-built, NASA-owned "Node 2" and the Japanese <br />Experiment Module (JEM) Pressurized Module will be linked up <br />on the ground for a trial run, before they are launched to <br />join the orbiting Space Station complex.<br /><br /><br />"We were all very pleased to see the two modules together in <br />the Space Station Processing Facility today," said Bill <br />Gerstenmaier, NASA's Station Program Manager. "Our teamwork <br />and dedication to continuing the assembly of the Station <br />shines through when a key milestone such as this is <br />realized."<br /><br /><br />International Space Station Partner Program managers and <br />representatives met at KSC this week to welcome the modules <br />to the United States and to officially sign over ownership of <br />Node 2 from the European Space Agency (ESA) to NASA. Node 2 <br />was built for NASA under a barter agreement with ESA. In <br />exchange for Node 2, NASA will launch the European Columbus <br />Laboratory on board a future Space Shuttle mission to the <br />Space Station.<br /><br /><br />The arrival at KSC of the JEM and its lifeline to the Space <br />Station, Node 2, coincided, so NASA can conduct multi-<br />element, integrated testing of the modules in the Space <br />Station Processing Facility before they are prepared for <br />launch.<br /><br /><br />The ground tests will validate the compatibility of the <br />modules in distributing power and system resources between <br />the research facilities. The installation of NASA's Node 2 <br />will signify the completion of the American portion of the <br />International Space Station, known as U.S. Core Complete.<br /><br /><br />For information about the NASA, human space flight and the <br />International Space Station on the Internet, visit:<br /><br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov