In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, the Hitchhiker Bridge with GetAway Special canisters (GAS cans) are ready for transfer to the payload canister. The bridge is a carrier for (FREESTAR) seen here before installation in Columbia's payload bay.

Space Shuttle Columbia successfully lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, 10:39 am eastern standard time on Jan. 16. The 16-day mission of STS-107 is dedicated to a mixed complement of competitively selected and commercially sponsored research in the space, life and physical sciences.

An international crew of seven, including the first Israeli astronaut, will work 24 hours a day in two alternating shifts. They will conduct experiments in the areas of astronaut health and safety, advanced technology development; and Earth and space science.

Goddard's direct involvement with this science mission includes Tom Dixon, assistant office manager of the Small Shuttle Payload Programs. For STS-107 Tom is the mission manager for The Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science (FREESTAR) that is aboard Columbia.

"It has been a privilege to be involved with these experiments especially the international experiment MEIDEX," said Dixon. "It is very gratifying to be involved in numerous science and technology pathfinders which will open up greater technological advancement and science investigation fields," Dixon commented.

The FREESTAR payload includes six separate experiments to include the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX), Solar Constant Experiment-3 (SOLCON-3), Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment-02 (SOLSE-02), Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2), Low Power Transceiver (LPT), and Spacer Experiment Module-14 (SEM).

Goddard along with Wallops Flight Facility manages NASA's Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP). The SSPP designs, develops, tests, integrates and flies a group of small payload carrier systems for the space shuttle. These carriers, the Hitchhiker, Getaway Specials (GAS), and Space Experiment Module (SEM), support payloads supplied by NASA, other government agencies, universities, high schools, domestic commercial customers, and foreign nationals and governments. These carriers can support payloads that range in size between 50 and 4,000 pounds.

Columbia is currently scheduled to return to the Kennedy Space Center the
morning of February 1.

For more on the STS-107 mission, visit: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/

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NASA 's Mission:
*To understand and protect our home planet
*To explore the Universe and search for life
*To inspire the next generation of explorers
…as only NASA can

For a further details of the NASA mission, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/bios/vision.html

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In observance and in celebrationmarking a century of flight in 2003, Goddard News will feature historical NASA flight tidbits throughout the year. This Week in History: The Lunar Prospector was launched on January 6, 1998 (EST). The Lunar Prospector collected lunar mapping data and high-resolution studies for a little more than a year and a half. When the mission ended on 31 July 1999 at 9:52:02 UT (5:52:02 EDT) it was hoped that the Lunar Prospector's deliberately targeted impact would liberate water vapor from the suspected ice deposits in the crater and that the plume would be detectable from Earth, however, no plume was observed.

For more information on the Centennial of Flight celebration events, go to: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/