Imagery

Several animations demonstrate the complexity of installing Destiny on the International Space Station.

STS-98 Delivers Destiny Lab to International Space Station
Space Shuttle Atlantis spent almost 13 days in orbit, with seven of those days docked to the International Space Station. While at the orbital outpost, the STS-98 crew delivered and activated the U.S. Laboratory named Destiny and completed three space walks.

Arrival of the Destiny Lab brought the space station's mass to about 101.6 metric tons (112 tons), surpassing that of the Russian Mir space station for the first time.

Mission Specialists Tom Jones and Robert Curbeam conducted three space walks during the mission that totalled nearly 20 hours. During the first space walk they assisted shuttle robot arm operator Marsha Ivins in moving Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 and installing Destiny onto the station. During the second space walk, they focused on moving Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 from a temporary position to its new home at the forward end of Destiny. Jones and Curbeam spent most of their third space walk connecting cables and equipment outside Destiny. Then, they performed some procedural tests to determine the best ways to help a disabled space walk partner.

From the Gallery: Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd cheerfully accepts delivery of the Destiny Laboratory. The crew of STS-98 carried paperwork officially transferring the new lab to the station. Shepherd signed the receipt.

Arrival of Destiny Lab Sets Stage for Space Station Science
Installation of the new U.S. Laboratory named Destiny greatly increased the habitable volume of the space station. The cylindrical module is 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) in diameter.

With space for 24 racks and a roomy work area for the crew, the new lab is at the center of scientific exploration aboard the orbiting outpost. Experiments requiring the microgravity environment will be performed there for years to come, once the laboratory's racks are delivered.

Destiny's window -- which takes up the space of one rack -- is an optical gem that makes possible the ability to shoot very high quality photos and video. Station crewmembers use video and still cameras at the window to record Earth's ever-changing landscapes below.