Music.
It's not 1492, but Columbus has once again crossed the ocean blue.
The European Space Agency's Columbus research lab has arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a
future flight to the International Space Station.
Columbus is the agency's largest contribution to the station and can hold 10 racks of experiments at one time.
Destined to be anchored to the station's Node 2 Module, the 23-by-15-foot Columbus will dramatically expand
the outpost's research capability.
On May 31, the European lab flew to Kennedy from Bremen, Germany, aboard an aptly named "Beluga" jetliner.
The plane and its scientific cargo touched down at the center's Shuttle Landing Facility.
The following day, Columbus was transported to Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility, where it will
undergo final preparations for flight.
Once inside, technicians hoisted the gleaming lab onto its awaiting work stand.
Then on June 2, members of NASA and the European Space Agency celebrated the arrival of Columbus with a
welcoming ceremony at the processing center.
Kennedy is thrilled to serve as Columbus' final port of call before the lab departs on another voyage of discovery.