Model of the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS, which has been under construction since 1998, is a joint project between the space agencies of the USA, Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada. It has been manned since 2000, and is scheduled for completion in 2011. The Columbus module is 7 metres long and 4.5 metres wide. It is used for a range of life and materials science experiments by European astronauts. The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of around 350 kilometres, completing around 15-16 orbits a day. Photographed at the ESA (European Space Agency) Astronaut Training Centre in Cologne, Germany.