A technician checks out the Materials Science Research Rack-1 or MSRR-1 which will undergo final flight preparations.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician checks out the Materials Science Research Rack-1, or MSRR-1, which will undergo final flight preparations. The size of a large refrigerator, MSRR-1 is 6 feet high, 3.5 feet wide and 40 inches deep and weighs about 1 ton. MSRR-1 is the payload for the STS-128 mission targeted to launch in August. The rack will be installed in the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module for transport to the International Space Station . After arriving at the station, the rack will be housed in the U.S. Destiny laboratory. MSRR-1 will allow for study of a variety of materials including metals, ceramics, semiconductor crystals and glasses onboard the orbiting laboratory. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann