Node 2 at Alenia Spazio

JSC2003-E-40252 (30 May 2003) --- The International Space Station U.S. Node 2 module is pictured shortly after being placed into an Airbus Beluga heavy-lift aircraft. The aircraft departed May 30 from Turin, Italy and arrived at the Kennedy Space Center June 1 with Node 2. Under contract of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), Alenia Spazio led a consortium of European sub-contractors to build Node 2. The module was built for NASA under a barter agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) in exchange for the launch of the European Columbus Laboratory by the space shuttle to the International Space Station. Node 2 will provide a passageway between four International Space Station science experiment modules: the U.S. Destiny Laboratory, the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module, the European Columbus Laboratory and the Centrifuge Accommodation Module. The addition of Node 2 to the station will signify the U.S. Core Complete stage of assembly, at which time the station can support the addition of international laboratories from Europe and Japan. Photo Credit: Italian Space Agency (ASI)