A US space shuttle is set to leave Earth on Tuesday carrying equipment bound for the International Space Station
(ISS). Endeavour will take the first part of a Japanese space lab to the ISS during the 16-day mission. The seven-strong crew will install a two-armed robot
designed to carry out repairs outside the orbiting spaceship. The shuttle is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 0228am local time (0628 GMT). Endeavour, which flew its first mission in 1992, is scheduled to spend 12 days at the ISS. During that time, the shuttle crew will unload a storage and equipment module for Japan''s space laboratory, Kibo, helped by the three long-term residents of the space
station.
They will also fit a pair of robotic arms to the station''s crane. The Canadian-built arms, which are each 3.35m (11ft) long, are designed to fit and service components as small as a phone book or as large as a telephone box. Working like a mechanic in space, the robot, known as Dextre, can pivot at the waist. Its shoulders support two identical arms with complex joints that allow for freedom of movement. Astronauts also plan to test a heat shield repair technique designed after the 2003 Columbia accident, during one of five planned space walks. The Japanese lab complex is the latest research addition to the $100 billion (£50 billion) ISS project. Europe''s Columbus space lab arrived last month, joining Nasa''s own research base at the station, a module called Destiny that has been in space since 2001. After Endeavour leaves the ISS, Europe''s first cargo ship, an unmanned Automated Transfer Vehicle called Jules Verne, will get its chance to dock. The ATV was launched from Europe''s spaceport in French Guiana on Saturday night. It will orbit near the station during the shuttle''s visit, ready to move into position in early April.