Astronauts open hatch to Europe's new space lab

By Irene Klotz

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Two European astronauts slipped inside Europe's newly installed Columbus laboratory module on Tuesday while crewmates prepared for a second spacewalk to outfit the International Space Station for new additions.

The 23-foot-long laboratory, equipped for medical, pharmaceutical and physics experiments, is Europe's first permanent space base and the prime contribution of a $5 billion investment in the space station program.

"This is a great moment," French astronaut Leopold Eyharts radioed to ground control teams in Houston and Munich before entering the module for the first time since it reached orbit on Thursday aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.

"We are very proud," added crewmate Hans Schlegel, of Germany. "It starts a new era. The European scientific module Columbus and the ISS are connected for many, many years of research in space in cooperation, internationally."

The visiting Atlantis crew installed the laboratory on Monday following an extended eight-hour spacewalk. Rookie astronaut Stan Love paired with lead spacewalker Rex Walheim for the outing after Schlegel developed an undisclosed medical ailment.

Schlegel remained scheduled to join Walheim for a second spacewalk on Wednesday to replace a spent nitrogen tank used to pressurize the station's coolant system.

One job the shuttle crew will not have to worry about is fixing a loose insulation blanket on one of Atlantis' steering engines. The insulation likely tore during Atlantis' climb to orbit on Thursday. The shuttle crew made an extra inspection of the area on Sunday.

"Good news," astronaut Kevin Ford from Mission Control told Atlantis commander Stephen Frick on Tuesday. "The analysis clearly shows there's no safety of flight issue. So the area has officially been cleared for entry."