Crew & Mission

(right)(STS083-325-004 - April 1997) --- Five NASA astronauts and two payload specialists pose for the traditional inflight crew portrait during a Microgravity Science Laboratory 1 (MSL-1) shift changeover in the Spacelab Module aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. In front (from the left) are astronauts Janice E. Voss, James D. Halsell, Jr. and Donald A. Thomas. From left to right in the rear are Roger K. Crouch, along with astronauts Michael L. Gernhardt and Susan L. Still, and Gregory T. Linteris. Crouch and Linteris are payload specialists.

The Artwork

(STS083-S-001 - January 1997) --- The crew patch for NASA's STS-83 mission depicts the Space Shuttle Columbia launching into space for the first Microgravity Sciences Laboratory 1 (MSL-1) mission. MSL-1 will investigate materials science, fluid dynamics, biotechnology, and combustion science in the microgravity environment of space, experiments that will be conducted in the Spacelab Module in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay during the planned 16-day mission. The center circle symbolizes a free liquid under microgravity conditions representing various fluid and materials science experiments. Symbolic of the combustion experiments is the surrounding starburst of a blue flame burning in space. The 3-lobed shape of the outermost starburst ring traces the dot pattern of a transmission Laue photograph typical of biotechnology experiments. The numerical designation for the mission is shown at bottom center. As a forerunner to missions involving International Space Station (ISS), STS-83 represents the hope that scientific results and knowledge gained during the flight will be applied to solving problems on Earth for the benefit and advancement of humankind.