WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Greeted by cheers from wellwishers at KSC and eager for their venture into space on the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 (MSL- 1) mission, the STS-83 astronauts depart the Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Launch Pad 39A. Leading the seven-member crew is Mission Commander James D. Halsell, Jr. Behind Halsell and to his right is Pilot Susan L. Still. Behind Still is Payload Commander Janice Voss, with Mission Specialist Donald A.Thomas to her left. Behind Thomas in order are Mission Specialist Michael L. Gernhardt and Payload Specialists Roger K. Crouch and Gregory T. Linteris. During the scheduled 16- day STS- 83 mission, 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.