Ray Castillo                      September 26, 1995
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone:  202/358-4555)

Doug Ward
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  713/244-7926)

Jim Keller
Boeing Defense and Space Group, Huntsville, AL
(Phone:  205/461-2803)


Release:  95-161

U.S. STRUCTURE  FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION COMPLETED

     The main structure of the U.S. laboratory module -- 
centerpiece of the U.S. hardware for the international Space 
Station -- has been successfully completed.

     Astronauts will perform continuous scientific 
experiments inside the pressure hull of the laboratory. The 
aluminum module is 28 feet long, 14 feet wide and weighs 
about 6,000 pounds.  It is scheduled to be launched to the 
international Space Station in November 1998.

      "This is a major accomplishment for the international 
Space Station program," said Wil Trafton, Space Station 
Program Director.  "This laboratory module is central to the 
Space Station's mission.  Within this lab, astronaut 
researchers will carry out scientific experimentation for 
the benefit of all of us here on Earth."

       Technicians at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in 
Huntsville, AL,  began welding the lab module in July.  It 
comprises three cylindrical sections, two bulkheads, or end 
cones, and contains the hatch openings through which 
astronauts will enter and exit the lab.  The lab's exterior 
has a "waffle" pattern, which strengthens the hull against 
the harsh environment of space.  A 20-inch diameter window 
is located on one side of the module's center cylinder.

                    -more-


                    -2-

     "I congratulate all the members of the Space Station 
team on the completion of this piece of space hardware," 
said Randy Brinkley,  Space Station Program Manager.  "The 
manufacturing progressed without any problems and all 3,100 
inches of weld were of exceptional quality.  This is another 
major piece of Space Station hardware completed on time."

     In early November, the lab will be moved to a boring 
mill where its surfaces will be machined for various 
functions, including drilling small holes for hatch seals 
and berthing mechanisms.  It later will be covered with a 
debris-shield blanket, made of a material similar to that 
used in bullet-proof vests.  A thin aluminum debris shield 
then will be placed over the blanket for added protection.

     The lab is being built by Boeing Defense and Space 
Group in Huntsville.  Boeing, prime contractor for the Space 
Station, has hardware in different stages of  completion.  
Both Node 1 and Node 2, the connecting passageways which 
will link Space Station's other modules, have been welded.  
Node 1 is now being machined in the boring mill.  Node 2 
completed machining and is being outfitted with internal 
equipment. 

     With the laboratory welding complete, the pieces of the 
Space Station crew quarters, or habitat module, now will be 
welded together. The habitat module will serve as the 'home 
away from home' where astronauts will eat and sleep.  
Habitat module welding will begin in October and be 
completed in December. 

     Overall, the United States has produced 54,000 pounds 
of Space Station hardware; by the end of the year, the 
United States will have completed nearly 80,000 pounds.  
Currently, the project's international partners have 
manufactured over 60,000 pounds of hardware.

     The first piece of the international Space Station is 
scheduled to be launched in just over two years, in November 
1997. The U.S. Node 1 will be launched one month later. A 
series of flights over five years will complete the Space 
Station in June 2002. 

                    -end-

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Media representatives wishing to obtain 
images accompanying this release may call the NASA 
Headquarters Newsroom Photo Office at 202/358-1900.

          Color: 95-HC-574          B&W:  95-H-585

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