This week in 1992, the United States Microgravity Payload-1 was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-52, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The USMP program was a series of missions developed by NASA to provide scientists with the opportunity to conduct research in the unique microgravity environment of the space shuttle’s payload bay. The USMP-1 payload carried three investigations. Two were basic fluid and metallurgical processes in microgravity. The third characterized the microgravity environment onboard the shuttle. The USMP program was managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Here, USMP-1 is seen in the cargo bay of Columbia. 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 Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)