Apr 4 1997
From The Space Library
Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, embarking on a mission primarily to conduct research on microgravity. To understand the effect of the space environment on fire, and the potential danger of a fire to the astronauts, the mission crew planned to light more than 200 small, controlled fires during the mission. James D. Halsell Jr. commanded the Mission STS-83 crew, and Susan L. Still piloted Shuttle Columbia. Still was the second American woman to pilot a Space Shuttle. Mission Specialists Michael L. Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas, Payload Commander Janice E. Voss, and Payload Specialists Roger K. Crouch and Gregory T. Linteris completed the crew. The Shuttle carried the Microgravity Science Laboratory in its payload, and the crew planned dozens of experiments, to "serve as a bridge to America's future in space." In the course of conducting these experiments, focused on processes necessary to carry out the long-duration research planned for the International Space Station (ISS), the astronauts hoped to create new research procedures and protocols. The STS-83 marked the 22nd mission of Columbia. The Shuttle's launch took place after a one-day delay, so that engineers could install thermal insulation on two exposed Shuttle pipes.
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