The crew for the space shuttle mission that will carry components for an intricate Japanese science laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS) has been named Friday by NASA, REPORTED DPA. Scheduled for launch in February 2008, the space shuttle Atlantis will deliver a pressurized module and robotic arm to the lab named Kibo - a Japanese word for hope. The shuttle crew will be headed by Navy Commander Mark Kelly and piloted by Navy Commander Kenneth Ham. Among the five mission specialists will be Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. It will be Hoshide's first spaceflight. NASA's STS-124 flight is the second of three missions to deliver and assemble the lab and will include two spacewalks to install the new lab and the robotic arm. Once assembled, the pressurized module of Kibo will allow astronauts to conduct microgravity, life science and engineering experiments. The robotic arm will allow astronauts to conduct outside experiments without the need for a spacewalk.
