KSC-98pc923

STS-100 Mission Specialist Chris Hadfield (Canada), Salimbeti Andrea (of Alenia Aerospazio), observers Astronaut Winston Scott and Scott McIntyre, and Mission Specialist Robert Curbeam take a close look at the opening of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) that will be launched on STS-100 on Dec. 2, 1999. Behind them is Paolo Prato , a systems engineer with Alenia. The MPLM will be carried in the payload bay of the Shuttle orbiter, and will provide storage and additional work space for up to two astronauts when docked to the International Space Station. Named Leonardo, the MPLM is the first of three modules being provided by Alenia Aerospazio. The second MPLM, to be handed over in April 1999, is named Raffaello. A third module, to be named Donatello, is due to be delivered in October 2000 for launch in January 2001