Spacelab was a cylindrically shaped reusable laboratory carried aboard the space shuttle that was designed to allow scientists to perform experiments in microgravity conditions while orbiting Earth. It was designed and developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Cradled in the shuttle's spacious cargo bay, Spacelab was used on numerous shuttle missions between 1983 and 1997. In addition to the United States, countries like Germany and Japan also conducted dedicated Spacelab missions.

An access tunnel joins with the Spacelab 1 module in the cargo bay of the space shuttle Columbia at the Kennedy Space Center. Spacelab was a reusable laboratory carried aboard the space shuttle, which was designed to allow scientists to perform experiments in microgravity conditions.

Spacelab Components

Spacelab was developed as a modular structure with several components that could be connected and installed...