Space station gets storage unit, robot

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The International Space Station got a sorely needed storage room yesterday, a 21-foot-long supply closet packed with goods and a humanoid robot that will remain boxed up for another two months.

The space station and shuttle crews teamed up to attach the newest module, using a hefty robot arm to anchor it down. It became the 13th room at the sprawling outpost, and the only one devoted entirely to storage.

Built in Italy, the new compartment is named after Leonardo da Vinci.

As Leonardo was bolted into place, the shuttle-station complex soared more than 200 miles above Turin, Italy.

"So far, Leonardo's looking very, very happy to be in his or her new home," said astronaut Catherine Coleman.

"It's a big day for us," added Discovery crewman Michael Barratt, "and for Italy, one of the greatest contributions to spaceflight next to Paolo Nespoli." Nespoli is among the six-person station crew.

Leonardo flew seven times to the space station as a temporary cargo carrier. Now it's staying for the duration. Storage space is at a premium, and Leonardo will provide some relief during the next decade.

The absence of visiting shuttles after this summer will make it harder to clear out the space station. Every time a shuttle returns from the station, it's full of trash and discarded items.

Space station commander Scott Kelly thanked Mission Control for the new storage unit. "It's much needed," he said.

Kelly was the first to enter the compartment last evening. He shook hands at the threshold with Discovery's commander, Steven Lindsey. "Ready for use," Kelly reported to Houston.

The robot delivered inside Leonardo - Robonaut 2, better known as R2 - will have to wait until May before being unpacked and tested as a potential astronaut helper. The space station residents are swamped with other chores during Discovery's visit, and Endeavour will be along in April, meaning the robot will stay put for a couple more months.

"So far, space is great - but I suspect it will be even better once I'm out of my box!" R2 said in a Twitter update.

The world's first humanoid in space cannot speak and certainly can't write or post tweets. Human colleagues on the ground are taking care of the Twitter end of things, however, attracting a following of more than 30,000 to AstroRobonaut, the robot's tweep name.

Discovery's mission has been extended a day and will now last 12 days. It's the last flight for NASA's oldest shuttle, which will be retired when it lands next Tuesday and eventually displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.

Leonardo was the last pressurized module to be delivered by a shuttle.