Multi-Purpose Logistics Module

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March 10, 2001 - The Leonardo Multi Purpose Logistics Module rests in Discovery's payload bay in this view taken from the ISS by a crew member using a digital still camera during STS-102.

Raffaello module docked to the ISS during STS-114 mission

March 21, 2001 - Cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko is dwarfed by transient hardware aboard Leonardo.

The Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) is a large pressurized container used on Space Shuttle missions to transfer cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). It is carried in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle and berthed to the Unity Module, where supplies are offloaded and finished experiments and waste are loaded. The MPLM is then reberthed in the Shuttle for return to Earth.

The MPLM is provided to NASA under contract by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Three MPLMs have been delivered to NASA and have names chosen by the ASI to denote some of the great talents in Italian history: Leonardo, Raffaello, and Donatello. While built by ASI, each MPLM is owned by NASA. In exchange for buiding the MPLM, ASI receives access to U.S. research time on the ISS.[1]

The MPLM was originally designed for Space Station Freedom. Initially, it was to be built by Boeing, but in 1992, the Italians announced that they would build a "Mini-Pressurized Logistics Module," able to carry 4500 kg of cargo. After the 1993 redesign, the length was doubled and it was renamed the "Multi-Purpose Logistics Module." Each empty MPLM is approximately 21 feet long, 15 feet in diameter, weighs 4.5 tons, and can deliver up to 10 tons of cargo to the ISS.

Donatello is a more capable module than its two siblings, as it is capable of carrying powered payloads. It will only fly once, and it will be flown on STS-128. In this mission, Donatello will deliver equipment for enlarging the station crew from three to six astronauts.

With the early end of the Space Shuttle program in 2010, the three modules will fly just ten times based on the current schedule.

[edit] Completed missions

[edit] Scheduled missions

NET: No Earlier Than

[edit] Specifications

• Length - 6.4 m
• Width - 4.57 m
• Mass - 4,082 kg empty; 13,154 kg loaded

[edit] External links

To learn more about MPLM:

• NASA.gov - MPLM Website