Ready for a Ride Home

Columbia sits under a mate/demate device at Boeing’s Orbiter Assembly Facility in Palmdale, Calif. It was waiting to be mated to Shuttle Carrier Aircraft no. 905 for its ferry flight to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Columbia had been undergoing modifications and upgrades at the Boeing plant. 

Chandra Awaits Deployment

This 70mm frame shows the 50,162-pound Chandra X-ray Observatory just before it was tilted upward for its release from Columbia’s payload bay. The primary duty of the STS-93 crew was to deploy the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope. It was also one of the first actions of the astronauts, occurring just a few hours following the shuttle’s arrival in Earth orbit. 

Final Approach

Columbia approaches touchdown on Runway 33 of Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility to complete the nearly 16-day STS-90 mission. Framed by Florida foliage and wetlands, this unique view was taken from the roof of the 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building. 

In Columbia’s Grasp

The Spartan is seen in the grasp of the space shuttle Columbia’s remote manipulator system on Flight Day 3 of the STS-87 mission. The photograph was taken with an electronic still camera aimed through overhead windows on Columbia’s aft flight deck. 

AERCam in the Payload Bay

This view shows the Autonomous Extravehicular Activity Robotic Camera Sprint (AERCam Sprint) in the payload bay of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia during the STS-87 mission. The AERCam Sprint was a prototype free-flying television camera that could be used for remote inspections of the exterior of the International Space Station. 

Columbia’s First Spacewalk

On the first-ever spacewalk from space shuttle Columbia, during the STS-87 mission, astronaut Winston E. Scott works with a simulated battery and 156-pound crane. The crane’s inclusion and the work with it are part of a continuing preparation effort for future work on the International Space Station. 

On the Crawlerway

In preparation for the STS-87 mission, space shuttle Columbia rolls out to Launch Pad 39B atop the crawler-transporter. STS-87 marked the fourth flight of the United States Microgravity Payload and the Spartan-201 deployable satellite. 

Chute Deployed

With its drag chute deployed, space shuttle Columbia touches down on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 6:46:34 a.m. EDT. During the Microgravity Science Laboratory-1 mission, the Spacelab module was used to test some of the hardware, facilities and procedures that are planned for use on the International Space Station while the flight crew conducted combustion, protein crystal growth and materials processing experiments. 

This mission was a reflight of the STS-83 mission that lifted off from Kennedy in April of the same year. That space flight was cut short due to indications of a faulty fuel cell. 

Predawn Touchdown

With sunrise just minutes away, space shuttle Columbia swoops down on Runway 33 of Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. 

First Landing of Columbia

After completing the first full test of the Space Transportation System, mission STS-1, space shuttle Columbia is seen here on the Rogers dry lake, Runway 23, at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. From this aerial view, Columbia is seen as it is being convoyed to a parking area.