International Space Station ISS relies on Linde technology

Munich, 4 July 2007 - Today is the first anniversary of the launch of the space shuttle which transported the specially-designed freezer MELFI (Minus Eighty Degrees Laboratory Freezer for ISS) to the International Space Station. The cryosystem, which was commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), was developed and built by the technology group The Linde Group in collaboration with the EADS space technology company Astrium, and is used to store biological samples at temperatures as low as minus 80°C. On 4 July 2006, MELFI was transported into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery and was started up by a team including German astronaut Thomas Reiter.

"The challenge presented by this project and its appeal lay in the particular requirements of space travel, especially the need for the freezer to work perfectly at zero gravity", said Dr. Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.

The main components of MELFI are four cylindrical, vacuum-insulated containers (dewars), each with a capacity of 75 litres, a cold box for refrigeration and a nitrogen distributing system to circulate the low temperatures, which can be individually regulated for each dewar. These components were supplied by the Linde Engineering Division and have been in operation for a year with no problems at all. MELFI has been designed for continuous operation over a period of 10 years and will remain on board the ISS for at least 5 years.

In addition to the model now orbiting the Earth, Linde has built two more complete units, which are currently being prepared for future use.

The Linde Group is a world-leading industrial gases, medical gases and engineering company with around 49,000 employees working in more than 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group plc, the company has gases and engineering sales of around 12 billion euro per annum. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.