KSC-00pp0181

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, STS-98 Mission Specialist Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.) looks up at the U.S. Lab Destiny with its debris shield blanket made of a material similar to that used in bullet-proof vests on Earth. Along with Commander Kenneth D. Cockrell and Pilot Mark Polansky, Jones is taking part in a Multi-Equipment Interface Test (MEIT) on this significant element of the International Space Station. During the STS-98 mission, the crew will install the Lab on the Station during a series of three spacewalks. The mission will provide the Station with science research facilities and expand its power, life support and control capabilities. The U.S. Laboratory Module continues a long tradition of microgravity materials research, first conducted by Skylab and later Shuttle and Spacelab missions. Destiny is expected to be a major feature in future research, providing facilities for biotechnology, fluid physics, combustion and life sciences reseach. The Lab is planned for launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on the sixth ISS flight, currently targeted no earlier than August 19, 2000.