STS094-S-009 (1 July 1997) --- Backdropped against the blue summer sky, the Space Shuttle Columbia leaves Launch Pad 39A at 2:02 p.m. (EDT), July 1, 1997, to begin the 16-day Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL-1) mission. Crew members are astronauts James D. Halsell, Jr., mission commander; Susan L. Still, pilot; Janice E. Voss, payload commander; and Michael A. Gernhardt and Donald A. Thomas, both mission specialists; along with payload specialists Gregory T. Linteris and Roger K. Crouch.
