The European Space Agency's Columbus module rests and invited guests following a ceremony to welcome the module into the Space Station Processing Facility.

The European Space Agency's Columbus module rests on a work stand in view of media representatives and invited guests following a ceremony to welcome the module into the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). Columbus is the European Space Agency's research laboratory for the International Space Station. The module will be prepared in the SSPF for delivery to the space station on a future space shuttle mission. Columbus will expand the research facilities of the station and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in the life, physical and materials sciences. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller