NASA

Space Shuttle Columbia Launches Succesfully
News story originally written on April 4, 1997

Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off today at 2:20 p.m. EST on a 16-day mission. Launch was delayed for a day due to concerns about a fuel cell that was reading higher than normal voltages. After scientists determined the fuel cell to be working properly, the countdown began.

The shuttle will orbit the Earth for two weeks at a height of 170 miles. The mission consists of a microgravity lab which will study the behavior of metals and other materials in the absence of gravity. The crew will also study how no gravity affects combustion.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Space Shuttle Columbia Launches Succesfully

Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off today at 2:20 p.m. EST on a 16-day mission. Launch was delayed for a day due to concerns about a fuel cell that was reading higher than normal voltages. After scientists...more

Space Shuttle Columbia lands safely after a shortened mission

Space Shuttle Columbia landed safely yesterday afternoon, cutting short the Microgravity Sciences Laboratory-1 by 12 days. The shuttle landed at Kennedy Space Center at 2:33pm. The Microgravity Science...more

Low ozone measured over north pole

Very low levels of ozone were measured over the Arctic during March by several satellites. Ozone is a chemical that lies in the stratosphere and protects us from harmful solar radiation. Though the levels...more

Researchers Locate Special Penguin Habitats!

Scientists have recently discovered that thousands of Adelie Penguins thrive in patches of the chilly Southern Ocean near Antarctica's coastline. In these special areas of the ocean, called polynyas,...more

Triggers of Volcanic Eruptions in Oregon's Mount Hood Investigated

A new study has found that a mixing of two different types of magma is the key to the historic eruptions of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain, and that eruptions often happen in a relatively short...more

Oldest Earth Mantle Reservoir Discovered

Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Geologist Matthew Jackson and his colleagues from a multi-institution collaboration report the finding--the...more

It’s Not Your Fault – A Typical Fault, Geologically Speaking, That Is

Some geologic faults that appear strong and stable, slip and slide like weak faults. Now an international team of researchers has laboratory evidence showing why some faults that 'should not' slip are...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA