JEM (Japanese Experiment Module)

JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) photo by JAXA

KIBO hasbeen dis-assembled and launched piece by piece by America's space shuttle, re-assembled and mounted while it hasbeen in orbit by extra-vehicular activity, EVA, in the space station by astronauts (crew members).
KIBO accepts a maximum of four crew members and is the first manned space facility developed in Japan for long period of stay.
The structure consists of the pressurized module (almost the same atmosphere as the earth), the exposed facility (outer surface of KIBO that is exposed directly to space), the remote manipulator (the robot arm), experiment logistics module (the warehouse of KIBO), etc.
KIBO hasbeen launched in 2008 and 2009, and astronomical observations, earth observations, material experiments and productions, life science (space medicine, biotechnology, etc.) and communication experiments, etc. are scheduled.