Raffaello Installed on Harmony

Piloting the Canadarm2 from the robotic workstation in the International Space Station’s cupola, astronauts Doug Hurley and Sandy Magnus grabbed the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module at 5:16 a.m. EDT. They lifted it out of shuttle Atlantis’ cargo bay at 5:47 a.m. and installed it on the Earth-facing port of the station’s Harmony node at 6:46 a.m.

The 21-foot long, 15-foot diameter Raffaello is packed with 9,403 pounds of spare parts, spare equipment, and other supplies – including 2,677 pounds of food - that will sustain space station operations for a year. Raffaello carries eight Resupply Stowage Platforms (RSPs), two Intermediate Stowage Platforms (ISPs), six Resupply Stowage Racks (RSRs) and one Zero Stowage Rack.

Sixteen bolts hold Raffaello firmly in place. The crew will conduct leak checks to verify a good seal before activating the module at 11:24 a.m. and entering it at 1:39 p.m.

Over the next several days, crew members will spend nearly 130 person-hours transferring items from Raffaello into the station and more than 5,600 pounds of discarded station gear into Raffaello for return to Earth.

Today’s Mission Status Briefing with space station Flight Director Jerry Jason, originally planned for 9:30 a.m., has moved to 9:45 a.m.