KSC-98pc1694

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA's "Super Guppy" aircraft arrives in KSC air space escorted by two T-38 aircraft after leaving Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The whale-like airplane carries the U.S. Laboratory module, considered the centerpiece of the International Space Station. The module will undergo final pre-launch preparations at KSC's Space Station Processing Facility. Scheduled for launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-98, the laboratory comprises three cylindrical sections with two end cones. Each end-cone contains a hatch opening for entering and exiting the lab. The lab will provide a shirtsleeve environment for research in such areas as life science, microgravity science, Earth science and space science. Designated Flight 5A, this mission is targeted for launch in early 2000