#sts-58

"The Space Shuttle Columbia is about to touch down on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in California. The landing, which occurred at 7:06 a.m. (PST), November 1, 1993, completed a two week mission in space devoted to medical research. Onboard the spacecraft were astronauts John E. Blaha, Richard A. Searfoss, Rhea Seddon, Shannon W. Lucid, David A. Wolf and William S. McArthur along with payload specialist Martin J. Fettman, DVM."

Date: November 1, 1993

NASA ID: STS058-S-126

"This distant shot of Columbia on its way to Earth-orbit was captured on film from the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) assigned to advance launch range screening. Onboard the spacecraft were six NASA astronauts, a veterinarian from the private sector and the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-2) science module. The crew will spend two weeks in Earth-orbiting devoting all its on-duty time to life sciences research. Launch occurred at 10:53 a.m. (EDT), October 18, 1993, from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)."

"Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-53 insignia shows the Space Shuttle Discovery rising to new achievements as it trails the symbol of the Astronaut Office against a backdrop of the American flag. The five stars and three stripes also serve to symbolize the mission designation (STS-53) and America's continuing commitment to world leadership in space. The pentagonal shape of the patch represents the Department of Defense (DOD) and its support of the Space Shuttle Program. The band delineating the flag from space includes the four colors of the military services of the crewmembers. The names of the flight crewmembers are located along the border of the patch. They are Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Robert D. Cabana, Mission Specialist (MS) Guion S. Bluford, MS James S. Voss, and MS Michael R. U. Clifford. Each crewmember contributed to the design of the insignia."

NASA ID: MSFC-9266816

Date: October 18, 1993

"Creating large clouds of smoke the Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Liftoff occurred at 10:53 a.m. (EDT), October 18, 1993. Along with its Spacelab Life Sciences-2 payload, Columbia carries astronauts John E. Blaha, Richard A. Searfoss, Rhea Seddon, Shannon W. Lucid, David A. Wolf and William S. McArthur along with payload specialist Martin J. Fettman."

Mission patch. NASA ID: MSFC-9308442

Date: October 18, 1993

"The Richat Structure, sometimes referred to as the Bull's Eye, can be seen in northwest-looking view. Contrary to a commonly believed notion, the structure was not made by the impact of a meteorite. The 24 mile (39km) wide structure was made by the erosion of layers of rock which domed upward. The depression or pit in which the domed rock rings sit is 328 feet (100 meters) deep from the surrounding plateau area (darker colored rock). The rock layers themselves are thought by many scientists to be several hundred million years old, and their variable resistance to erosion has produced a series of concentric ridges in the structure stepping down from the outside in. The structure is surrounded by fields of sand which is visible encroaching into the southern part of the structure. Small dry lakes or playas (whitish-gray color) are discernible to the east of the center part of the structure."

Date: October 18-31, 1993

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This orbiter tribute of space shuttle Columbia, or OV-102, hangs in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tribute features Columbia, the “first of the fleet," rising above Earth at the dawn of the Space Shuttle Program. Columbia's accomplishments include the launch and deployment of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory on STS-93, the first shuttle landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on STS-3, the first deployment of commercial satellites and the first four-member crew during STS-5, the first Spacelab mission and first six-member crew on STS-9, the first female commander, Eileen Collins, on STS-93, as well as several laboratory missions with international partners. Crew-designed patches for each of Columbia’s missions lead from Earth toward a remembrance of the STS-107 crew, which was lost during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003. Five orbiter tributes are on display in the firing room, representing Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Endeavour and Discovery."

Date: July 29, 2010