This week in 1997, space shuttle Discovery and the STS-85 crew landed after a successful 12-day mission. The mission carried numerous scientific payloads and tested hardware for potential use on the International Space Station. Making its second flight on the space shuttle, the primary payload for the flight was the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 — a satellite designed to study Earth’s middle atmosphere. NASA’s fleet of satellites, its airborne missions and researchers address some of the critical challenges facing our planet today and in the future: climate change, sea level rise, freshwater resources and extreme weather events.
The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA