Space Shuttle flight 123 (STS-124).
Launch: May 31, 2008.
Crew: Mark E. Kelly, Kenneth Ham, Karen L. Nyberg, Ronald J. Garan, Jr., Michael E. Fossum, Akihiko Hoshide
Launching ISS Expedition 17 Crew: Gregory Chamitoff
Landing ISS Expedition 17 Crew: Garrett Reisman
This mission delivered the main section of the Japanese Kibo laboratory - Kibo is the Japanese word for 'Hope'. Kibo becomes the third science laboratory on the ISS after the US Destiny and European Columbus. At 14.8 tonnes and 11.2 metres long, the cylindrical laboratory section, the Japanese Pressurised Module (JPM), was too big for just one shuttle mission. The Japanese equipment to be installed in the lab - the Japanese Logistics Module (JLM) - arrived on a seperate shuttle flight earlier in 2008.
