STS-83/94 is a Microgravity Science Laboratory
Mission. Its payload is a laboratory containing research experiments to
be completed in the reduced gravity environment of the space shuttle's
orbit.
The STS-83 launch was April 4, 1997, using the Columbia
orbiter. It carried seven crew members: James D. Halsell, Mission Commander;
Susan L. Still, Pilot; Janice E. Voss, Payload Commander; Donald A.
Thomas, and Michael L. Gernhardt, Mission Specialists; Roger Crouch,
and Greg Linteris, Payload Specialists.
Shuttle managers decided to cut short the STS-83
Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission because of problems
with one of the shuttle's three fuel cell power generation units. STS-83
returned on April 8 after completing just 3 days 23 hours of its anticipated
15-day mission.
On July 1, l997, at 2:00 p.m., CDT STS-94 was launched
as a reflight of STS-83. The Shuttle Columbia, carrying the same seven
astronauts, blasted off from Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center
to return to orbit to complete the microgravity science mission cut
short in April.
Related Web Pages
- The NASA Shuttle
Web top page gives information about the current shuttle mission.
- Liftoff's
Mission Central will also be tracking the current mission.
- Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Launch Countdown
pages have information about Space Shuttle Launches, processing, countdown
and the mission status. (The banner at the top of the page is an image
map and if you click on the shuttle you can get information about
the orbiter Columbia!)
- The
Microgravity Science Laboratory has information about the experiments onboard
this mission. Follow the Science
button for even more information about Microgravity Science.
- For more information about Space Flight you can
visit the homepage of the Office
of Space Flight
