KSC-05PD-2127

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, workers begin opening the hatch on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello. The module flew on mission STS-114 to the International Space Station, returning with about 7,000 pounds of Station material. Raffaello will be aired out before workers enter to remove the contents. Three MPLMs were built by the Italian space agency Alenia Aerospazio. The other two are Leonardo and Donatello. The MPLMs are carried in the payload bay of a Shuttle orbiter, and carry materials, supplies and even experiments to the Space Station.