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This Week in NASA History: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory Launches — June 25, 1992

Shuttle launching upward to space, captured from angle on ground
This week in 1992, space shuttle Columbia and STS-50 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying the first United States Microgravity Laboratory.

This week in 1992, space shuttle Columbia and STS-50 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying the first United States Microgravity Laboratory. The Spacelab long module included an Extended Duration Orbiter pallet and consisted of 31 experiments ranging from the manufacture of crystals for possible semiconductor use to the study of behavior of weightless fluids. USML-1 was a national effort to advance microgravity research in a broad number of disciplines. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center managed the Spacelab program for NASA. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s scientific experiments.

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.

Image Credit: NASA