page_title: European Technology Exposure Facility
hierarchical_section_title: European Technology Exposure Facility
caption_attribution_description: English: EUTEF art STS-128
context_page_description: The European Technology Exposure Facility was a payload mounted on the exterior of the European Columbus laboratory, one of the modules of the International Space Station. The facility, mounted onto the exterior of Columbus, provided a platform for multiple types of experiments and materials to be exposed directly to the harsh space environment.
  The EuTEF is a programmable, multifunctional architecture that provides uniform interfaces for instruments. Nine instrument modules are accommodated and operated simultaneously. Each experiment is mounted on the Columbus External Payload Adapter, which consists of an adapter plate, the Active Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism and the connectors & harness. The experiments are mounted either directly onto the adapter plate or a support structure that elevates them for optimum exposure to the ram and zenith directions.
  In total, the facility has a mass of 350 kilograms. The first set of experiments mounted to the facility included:
  DEBris In-orbit Evaluator: micrometeoroid and orbital debris detector
  EuTEF Thermometer: measure EuTEF's thermal environment
  Earth Viewing Camera: Earth observing camera
context_section_description: The European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) was a payload mounted on the exterior of the European Columbus laboratory, one of the modules of the International Space Station. The facility, mounted onto the exterior of Columbus, provided a platform for multiple types of experiments and materials to be exposed directly to the harsh space environment.
  The EuTEF is a programmable, multifunctional architecture that provides uniform interfaces for instruments. Nine instrument modules are accommodated and operated simultaneously. Each experiment is mounted on the Columbus External Payload Adapter (CEPA), which consists of an adapter plate, the Active Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (A-FRAM) and the connectors & harness. The experiments are mounted either directly onto the adapter plate or a support structure that elevates them for optimum exposure to the ram (direction of flight) and zenith directions.
  In total, the facility has a mass of 350 kilograms (770 lb). The first set of experiments (successfully mounted during STS-122 and removed during STS-128) mounted to the facility included:
  DEBris In-orbit Evaluator (DEBIE-2): micrometeoroid and orbital debris detector
  EuTEF Thermometer (EuTEMP): measure EuTEF's thermal environment
  Earth Viewing Camera (EVC): Earth observing camera
  Exposure experiment (EXPOSE): An exobiological exposure facility
  Flux(Phi) Probe EXperiment (FIPEX): atomic oxygen detector
  Material Exposure and Degradation Experiment (MEDET): examine material degradation
  Plasma Electron Gun Payload (PLEGPAY): plasma discharge in orbit
  An Experiment on Space Tribology Experiment (Tribolab): testbed for the tribology (study of friction on moving parts) properties of materials
caption: EUTEF art
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