Leonardo cargo module (Credit: NASA TV)
Logistics module to be modified for new mission
Spaceflight Now
NASA and the Italian Space Agency are planning to strip the Leonardo cargo module of unnecessary parts and beef up shielding to equip the barrel-shaped spacecraft for a permanent stay at the International Space Station.
Leonardo will fly on the final space shuttle mission scheduled for launch Sept. 16 next year.
The reusable module has flown six times since 2001, delivering internal cargo, experiments and crew supplies to the complex on space shuttle missions. Leonardo is slated to fly once more on the shuttle Discovery in March before undergoing final outfitting for its new permanent role at the station.
The new module is called the Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM.
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Glad to see the Italians are doing the smart thing here. If this will be its final flight, they should leave it there so it continue to do work instead of becoming yet more obsolete rusting hardware on the ground.