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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility, other components of the remote manipulator system for the Japanese Experiment Module are offloaded from the Antonov 124 aircraft onto a truck bed. The RMS will be transported to the Space Station Processing Facility. The JEM, named "Kibo" (Hope), is Japan's primary contribution to the International Space Station. It will enhance the unique research capabilities of the orbiting complex by providing an additional environment for astronauts to conduct science experiments. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency developed the laboratory. Both the JEM and RMS are targeted for mission STS-124, to launch in early 2008. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitrios Gerondidakis