This is the first time that a European control center is taking part in an extended manned mission. Until now, work on board the ISS has been primarily coordinated from Houston or Moscow. Throughout Reiter’s mission, the Columbus Control Center (ColCC) – situated in Oberpfaffenhofen, not far from Munich – is watching over and coordinating the German astronaut’s activities on board the ISS, as well as acting as an interface for scientists from all over Europe.

The ground crew was also brought up to speed there as the research laboratory COLUMBUS went on line. The COLUMBUS is the centerpiece of the European contribution to the ISS. "Just getting all of the technical systems up and running is a very complex process" said Reiter. "And then there’s all of the day-to-day work to plan and organize! I think that this mission will give ESA a good opportunity to get used to the procedures that are necessary when running a research lab up in space. Then it’ll be ready for anything when the lab docks, which I believe is planned for the end of 2007. That will allow the COLUMBUS to get straight to work."

The ColCC passed its first trial by fire in April of 2005 during the Eneide Mission, when Italian ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori visited the ISS. Reiter’s sojourn on board the space station requires more intense support from the control center, and the number of ground crew has been increased to fill shifts around the clock for months on end. The Columbus Control Center also has an ultramodern data network that gives scientists throughout Europe the chance to carry out experiments in space -- with Thomas Reiter’s help on board the ISS.