Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, an overhead crane carries the European Columbus laboratory towards a work stand.

The Columbus laboratory is ESA's biggest contribution to the International Space Station. Delivered to ESA by EADS SPACE Transportation on 2 May 2006, this laboratory will provide internal payload accommodation for various scientific experiments. The Columbus laboratory will be flown on a Space Shuttle to the ISS in the second half of 2007.