jsc2004e44645

JSC2004-E-44645 (September 2004) --- This view of the International Space Station's Cupola features the portion where the grapple fixture is located. The Canadian-built remote manipulator system on either the Station or Space Shuttle will be able to grasp the Cupola with this fixture. This is one of a series of photos showing completed work on the hardware at the Alenia Spazio clean room in Turin, Italy. The personnel have been preparing the hardware for shipment to NASA's launch facility at Cape Kennedy, Florida. From inside the Cupola, a dome-shaped module with seven windows, astronauts have a panoramic view for observing operations on the outside of the orbiting complex. The Cupola module provides external observation capabilities during spacewalks, docking operations, hardware surveys and for Earth and celestial studies. It also serves as the primary location for executing robot arm operations of Canadarm2. Until the Cupola is installed, crews have been using a robotic control computer station located in the Destiny Laboratory to operate the arm. The Cupola’s windows enhance the robotic arm operator's situational awareness, supplementing camera and graphic views provided by the computer workstation. Photo Credit: Alenia Spazio