ملف:STS-75 launch.jpg

The Space Shuttle Columbia hurtles skyward from Launch Pad 39B. Columbia lifted off right on time at 3:18:00 p.m. EST, Feb. 22, following a smooth countdown. NASA's second Shuttle mission of 1996 and the 75th overall in Shuttle program history will be highlighted by the re-flight of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1R) designed to investigate new sources of spacecraft power and ways to study Earth's atmosphere. Mission STS-75 also will see Columbia's seven-person crew work with the U.S. Microgravity Payload (USMP-3), which continues research efforts into development of new materials and processes that could lead to a new generation of computers, electronics and metals. The STS-75 crew includes: Mission Commander Andrew M. Allen; Pilot Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz; Payload Commander Franklin R. Chang-Diaz; Mission Specialists Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Claude Nicollier and Maurizio Cheli; and Payload Specialist Umberto Guidoni. Nicollier and Cheli represent the European Space Agency (ESA) while Guidoni represents the Italian Space Agency (ASI).