WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

After a perfect launch, spectators try
to catch a last glimpse of Space Shuttle Columbia, barely visible at
the top end of the twisted column of smoke. Following a flawless and
uneventful countdown, liftoff occurred on-time at 10:39
a.m. EST. Headed for a 16-day research mission, Columbia's crew will
be taking part in more than 80 experiment, including FREESTAR (Fast
Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and
Research) and the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), known as
SPACEHAB. Experiments on the module range from material sciences to
life sciences. This mission is the first Shuttle mission of
2003. Mission STS-107 is the 28th flight of the orbiter Columbia and
the 113th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program.