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20-618: 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)

40-601: 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

60-667: 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

80-582: Is located at an Axiom Space facility near Houston, in preparation to undergo work to become an element for the Axiom Commercial Space Station. Raffaello MPLM The Raffaello MPLM , also known as MPLM-2 , was one of three Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules which were operated by NASA to transfer supplies and equipment to and from the International Space Station . Raffaello was used for four of twelve MPLM flights to

100-788: 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,

120-482: 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

140-564: 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

160-531: 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

180-488: 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

200-662: 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

220-405: 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

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240-473: 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

260-425: 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

280-593: 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

300-617: 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,

320-572: The space station, with Leonardo being used for the remainder. It was first launched on 19 April 2001, aboard the STS-100 mission flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour , and made its third flight in July 2005, aboard Discovery on STS-114 . Raffaello ' s final flight was aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission, the last flight of the Space Shuttle. In April 2023, Raffaello

340-609: 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

360-426: 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

380-631: 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

400-498: 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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