European Technology Exposure Facility
Encyclopedia
The European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) is 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, provides 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 (771.6 lb). The first set of experiments (successfully mounted during STS-122
and removed during STS-128
) mounted to the facility included:
Columbus (ISS module)
Columbus is a science laboratory that is part of the International Space Station and is the largest single contribution to the ISS made by the European Space Agency ....
laboratory, one of the modules of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. The facility, mounted onto the exterior of Columbus, provides a platform for multiple types of experiments and materials to be exposed directly to the harsh space environment.
In total, the facility has a mass of 350 kilograms (771.6 lb). The first set of experiments (successfully mounted during STS-122
STS-122
STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1....
and removed during STS-128
STS-128
-Crew notes:Nicole Stott was originally scheduled to return aboard Soyuz TMA-15, but a change in the flight plan was made due to the possible flight delays in future shuttle missions, which may extend Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk's mission beyond the six-month duration preferred for station...
) 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