WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

STS-107 Commander Rick Husband (at the
microphone) makes a few comments after the crew's arrival at KSC for
pre-launch preparations. Standing left to right are Husband, Pilot
William "Willie" McCool, Mission Specialists David Brown and Kalpana
Chawla, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist Laurel
Clark and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, who is the first Israeli
astronaut to fly on a Shuttle mission. STS-107 is a mission devoted to
research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study
Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and
astronaut health and safety. The payload on Space Shuttle Columbia
includes 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. Launch of Columbia is
targeted for Jan. 16 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.