In the Vehicle Assembly Building the frustum is lowered onto a stand after being lifted from the transporter in the foreground.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the frustum is lowered onto a stand after being lifted from the transporter in the foreground. The solid rocket booster segment will be added to the stack for space shuttle Atlantis, launch vehicle for mission STS-122 targeted for a December launch. Atlantis will be carrying the Columbus Laboratory, Europe’s largest contribution to the construction of the International Space Station. It will support scientific and technological research in a microgravity environment. Columbus, a program of ESA, is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to Node 2 of the space station to carry out experiments in materials science, fluid physics and biosciences, as well as to perform a number of technological applications. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller