Introduction

The European Space Agency (ESA) announces herewith the opportunity to conduct scientific research and applications onboard the International Space Station (ISS) (Fig. 1). This opportunity is for instruments to be mounted and/or experiments to be conducted on one or two 'Express Pallets' attached to the Station's external truss structure, as indicated in Figure 2, for a period of three years starting in 2001, through an Agreement concluded by ESA with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Figure 1. The International Space Station

Figure 2. The zenith and nadir-facing Express Pallets, attached to the station's truss structure

This Announcement of Opportunity (AO) is primarily directed to investigators from ESA Member States*. Proposers from other countries are also invited to reply. They are encouraged to team up with ESA Member State investigators. The ESA/NASA Agreement for Early Utilisation encourages cooperative research with US researchers. Proposers are therefore invited to pursue such cooperative proposals.

* i.e. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

The ISS is being developed through an international cooperative programme in which the United States of America and Russia provide major infrastructure elements, as well as habitation modules for the astronauts and space laboratories for experimentation in a pressurised environment, and attachment sites for unpressurised external payloads. Canada is providing a Remote Manipulator System and Japan is building utilisation elements comprising a laboratory and an external platform with sites for exposed facilities.

The European contribution to the overall ISS programme comprises:

• a pressurised Space Laboratory, known as the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF)

• an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) launched by Ariane-5 for logistics services and propulsion of the ISS

• a crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) may also be built; a decision on its development will be made in 1998.

These contributions provide Europe with rights of access to the Space Station and its onboard utilisation resources once the European COF is launched.

The Programme for the European participation in the ISS also includes an element entitled 'Utilisation Preparation', through which the flight opportunity offered by this AO is Supported.

The ESA/NASA Agreement on Early Utilisation also affords European payloads access to the US Laboratory before the launch of the European COF, planned for end-2002. A separate Announcement of Opportunity for European users to conduct experiments in the US Laboratory will be issued once the European microgravity multiuser facilities for Early Utilisation have been selected. The present plans foresee development of an Advanced Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility and a Modular Cultivation System for space biological research.