English: The U.S. Laboratory module for the International Space Station is shown under construction in the fall of 1997 at the Marshall Space Flight Center station manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Al; after being transported from the Michoud Assembly Facility for preliminary contruction. The lab module will be launched to the station on Space Shuttle mission STS-98 in May 1999. The steel and aluminum module is 28 feet long and 14 feet in diameter. The lab is consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches that will be mated to other station components. The exterior waffle pattern visible in this image strengthens the hull of the lab. The exterior will eventually be covered by a debris shield blanket made of a material similar to that used in bullet-proof vests on Earth. A thin aluminum debris shield will then be placed over the blanket for additional protection. A 20-inch diameter window is located on one side of the center module segment.