Against all odds, Atlantis totes lab to space station

0 Comments | USA TODAY, February, 2008 | by Traci Watson

Astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis plan to add a European scientific laboratory to the International Space Station on Sunday, three days after the lab rocketed from Earth tucked in the shuttle's cargo bay.

The lab, called Columbus, will add an international flavor to the station. The station is financed by 16 nations, but all of its nine rooms have been operated by the United States or Russia. European Space Agency engineers working near Munich will operate the lab's systems via satellite, the first time Europe has controlled a spacecraft inhabited by humans.

"We know the Columbus has been many years in the making, and we're looking forward to doing our part to bring it up," Atlantis commander Stephen Frick said just before the shuttle lifted off at 2:45...