title: The ESA payloads for Columbus--a bridge between the ISS and exploration.
abstract: As part of the European contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) Programme, ESA has developed a number of complex, pressurised and unpressurised payloads for conducting scientific investigations in a variety of disciplines, such as the life and physical sciences, technology and space science. The majority of these payloads will already be installed in ESA's Columbus Laboratory when it is launched in 2006. Many of them are ready for flight, whilst the others are approaching final acceptance. The development of these payloads and their utilisation on the ISS can be considered as a bridge to ESA's future Exploration activities.
authors.affiliation: ESA Directorate of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reibaldi
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nasca
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mundorf
authors.forename: Pierfilippo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Manieri
authors.forename: Giacinto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gianfiglio
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feltham
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galeone
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dettmann
mesh_terms: D000399:Air Pressure; D001690:Biological Science Disciplines; D004867:Equipment Design; D006804:Ergonomics; D005060:Europe; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D007753:Laboratories; D012106:Research / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013026:Space Flight / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018531:Spacecraft / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014893:Weightlessness