STS-75 Columbia OV-102 launch

STS075-S-007 (22 Feb. 1996) --- A remote camera at Launch Pad 39B, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), recorded this profile view of the space shuttle Columbia as it cleared the tower to begin the mission. The liftoff occurred on schedule at 3:18:00 p.m. (EST), Feb. 22, 1996. Onboard Columbia for the scheduled two-week mission were astronauts Andrew M. Allen, commander; Scott J. Horowitz, pilot; Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, payload commander; and astronauts Maurizio Cheli, Jeffrey A. Hoffman and Claude Nicollier, along with payload specialist Umberto Guidoni. Cheli and Nicollier represent the European Space Agency (ESA), while Guidoni represents the Italian Space Agency (ASI).