The Space Shuttle Columbia soars from Launch Pad 39A to begin the 16-day STS-94 Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL-1) mission. During the space flight, the MSL-1 will be used to test some of the hardware, facilities and procedures that are planned for use on the International Space Station while the flight crew conducts combustion, protein crystal growth and materials processing experiments. Also onboard is the Hitchhiker Cryogenic Flexible Diode (CRYOFD) experiment payload, which is attached to the right side of Columbia's payload bay. These payloads had previously flown on the STS-83 mission in April, which was cut short after nearly four days because of indications of a faulty fuel cell. STS-94 is a reflight of that mission.
* Image credit - Kennedy Space Center
* This text was adapted from a photo credit from the Kennedy Space Center
