Leonardo (ISS module)

Leonardo
Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module
Module statistics
Part ofInternational Space Station
Launch date24 February 2011, 21:53:24 UTC
Launch vehicleSpace Shuttle Discovery
Berthed1 March 2011 (Unity nadir)
Mass9,896 kg (21,817 lb)
Length6.6 m (22 ft)
Diameter4.57 m (15.0 ft)
Pressurized volume31 m3 (1,100 cu ft)
References: [1]
Interior of Leonardo

Leonardo, also known as the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) is a module of the International Space Station. It was flown into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-133 on 24 February 2011 and installed on 1 March. Leonardo is primarily used for storage of spares, supplies and waste on the ISS, which was until then stored in many different places within the space station. It is also the personal hygiene area for the astronauts who live in the US Orbital Segment. The Leonardo PMM was a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) before 2011, then was modified into its current configuration. It was formerly one of two MPLM used for bringing cargo to and from the ISS with the Space Shuttle. The module was named for Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci.

Like the other Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, it was constructed by the Italian Space Agency, who chose to name it after Leonardo da Vinci.[1] Construction began in April 1996, and the module was delivered to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in August 1998 by an Airbus Beluga aircraft.[2]

  1. ^ a b "What is MPLM?". NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules". International Space Station. NASA. Retrieved 17 May 2010.