By 11:39 a.m. EST, one hour after launch, Columbia was in orbit and crew members entered the "post-insertion time-line." The crew immediately began to configure onboard systems for their 16-day stay in space.

Flight Day 1, Thursday, January 16

The payload bay doors were opened at 12:36 p.m. and the radiator was deployed for cooling. Crew members activated the Extended Duration Orbiter pallet (containing extra pro-pellants for power and water production) and FREESTAR, and they began to set up the SPACEHAB module (see Fig-ure 2.4-1). The crew then ran two experiments with the Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System stationary bicycle in SPACEHAB.

The crew also set up the Bioreactor Demonstration System, Space Technology and Research Students Bootes, Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit, Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System, Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System, and Biopack, and performed Low Power Transceiver communication tests.

Flight Day 2, Friday, January 17

The Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment 2 began measuring the ozone layer, while the Mediterranean Israeli Dust Ex-periment (MEIDEX) was set to measure atmospheric aero-sols over the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert. The Critical Viscosity of Xenon 2 experiment began studying the fluid properties of Xenon.

The crew activated the SPACEHAB Centralized Experiment Water Loop in preparation for the Combustion Module 2 and Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment and also activated the Facility for Absorption and Surface Tension, Zeolite Crystal Growth, Astroculture, Mechanics of Granular Materials, Combined Two Phase Loop Experiment, European Research In Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis, Biological Research in Canisters, centrifuge configurations, Enhanced Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer Operations, and Mi-crobial Physiological Flight Experiment.

Not known to Mission Control, the Columbia crew, or anyone else, between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. on Flight Day 2, an object drifted away from the Orbiter. This object, which subsequent analysis suggests may have been related to the debris strike, had a departure velocity between 0.7 and 3.4 miles per hour, remained in a degraded orbit for approximately two and a half days, and re-entered the atmosphere between 8:45 and 11:45 p.m. on January 19. This object was discovered after the accident when Air Force Space Command reviewed its ra-dar tracking data. (See Chapter 3 for additional discussion.)

Flight Day 3, Saturday, January 18

The crew conducted its first on-orbit press conference. Be-cause of heavy cloud cover over the Middle East, MEIDEX objectives could not be accomplished. Crew members began an experiment to track metabolic changes in their calcium levels. The crew resolved a discrepancy in the SPACEHAB Video Switching Unit, provided body fluid samples for the Physiology and Biochemistry experiment, and activated the Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment.

Flight Day 4, Sunday, January 19

Husband, Chawla, Clark, and Ramon completed the first ex-periments with the Combustion Module 2 in SPACEHAB, which were the Laminar Soot Processes, Water Mist Fire suppression, and Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis number. The latter studied combustion at the limits of flam-mability, producing the weakest flame ever to burn: each flame produced one watt of thermal power (a birthday-cake candle, by comparison, produces 50 watts).

Experiments on the human bodys response to microgravity continued, with a focus on protein manufacturing, bone and calcium production, renal stone formation, and saliva and urine changes due to viruses. Brown captured the first ever images of upper-atmosphere "sprites" and "elves," which are produced by intense cloud-to-ground electromagnetic impulses radiated by heavy lightning discharges and are associated with storms near the Earths surface.

微小重力に対する人体の反応についての実験は、たんぱく質の生成、骨とカルシウムの精製、腎結石の形成、ウィルスによる唾液と尿の変化に注目して継続されました。ブラウンは上層大気での放電現象"スプライト(sprites:妖精)"と"エルブス(elves:エルフ)"の初の映像を捉えました。これは強力な雷の放電によって、地上と雲の間で激しい電磁気のパルスが発生することで生まれるもので、地上近くの嵐と関係しています。

The crew reported about a cup of water under the SPACE-HAB module sub-floor and significant amounts clinging to the Water Separator Assembly and Aft Power Distribu-tion Unit. The water was mopped up and Mission Control switched power from Rotary Separator 1 to 2.

Flight Day 5, Monday, January 20

Mission Control saw indications of an electrical short on Rotary Separator 2 in SPACEHAB; the separator was pow-ered down and isolated from the electrical bus. To reduce condensation with both Rotary Separators off, the crew had to reduce the flow in one of Columbias Freon loops to SPACEHAB in order to keep the water temperature above the dew point and prevent condensation from forming in the Condensing Heat Exchanger. However, warmer water could lead to higher SPACEHAB cabin temperatures; fortunately, the crew was able to keep SPACEHAB temperatures accept-able and avoid condensation in the heat exchanger.

Flight Day 6, Tuesday, January 21

The temperature in the SPACEHAB module reached 81 de-grees Fahrenheit. The crew reset the temperature to accept-able levels, and Mission Control developed a contingency plan to re-establish SPACEHAB humidity and temperature control if further degradation occurred. The Miniature Satellite Threat Reporting System, which detects ground-based radio frequency sources, experienced minor command and telemetry problems.

Flight Day 7, Wednesday, January 22

Both teams took a half day off. MEIDEX tracked thunder-storms over central Africa and captured images of four sprites and two elves as well as two rare images of meteoroids enter-ing Earths atmosphere. Payload experiments continued in SPACEHAB, with no further temperature complications.

Flight Day 8, Thursday, January 23

Eleven educational events were completed using the low-power transceiver to transfer data files to and from schools in Maryland and Massachusetts. The Mechanics of Granular Materials experiment completed the sixth of nine tests. Bio-pack shut down, and attempts to recycle the power were un-successful; ground teams began developing a repair plan.

Mission Control e-mailed Husband and McCool that post- launch photo analysis showed foam from the External Tank had struck the Orbiters left wing during ascent. Mission Control relayed that there was "no concern for RCC or tile damage" and because the phenomenon had been seen be-fore, there was "absolutely no concern for entry." Mission Control also e-mailed a short video clip of the debris strike, which Husband forwarded to the rest of the crew.

Flight Day 9, Friday, January 24

Crew members conducted the missions longest combustion test. Spiral moss growth experiments continued, as well as Astroculture experiments that harvested samples of oils from roses and rice flowers. Experiments in the combustion cham-ber continued. Although the temperature in SPACEHAB was maintained, Mission Control estimated that about a half-gallon of water was unaccounted for, and began planning in-flight maintenance for the Water Separator Assembly.

Flight Day 10, Saturday, January 25

Experiments with bone cells, prostate cancer, bacteria growth, thermal heating, and surface tension continued. MEIDEX captured images of plumes of dust off the coasts of Nigeria, Mauritania, and Mali. Images of sprites were captured over storms in Perth, Australia. Biopack power could not be restored, so all subsequent Biopack sampling was performed at ambient temperatures.

Flight Day 11, Sunday, January 26

Vapor Compression Distillation Flight Experiment opera-tions were complete; SPACEHAB temperature was allowed to drop to 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists received the first live Xybion digital downlink images from MEIDEX and confirmed significant dust in the Middle East. The STARS experiment hatched a fish in the aquatic habitat and a silk moth from its cocoon.

Flight Day 12, Monday, January 27

Combustion and granular materials experiments concluded. The combustion module was configured for the Water Mist experiment, which developed a leak. The Microbial Physiology Flight Experiment expended its final set of samples in yeast and bacteria growth. The crew made a joint observa-tion using MEIDEX and the Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment. MEIDEX captured images of dust over the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

Flight Day 13, Tuesday, January 28

The crew took another half day off. The Bioreactor experi-ment produced a bone and prostate cancer tumor tissue sam-ple the size of a golf ball, the largest ever grown in space. The crew, along with ground support personnel, observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the men and women of Apollo 1 and Challenger. MEIDEX was prepared to monitor smoke trails from research aircraft and bonfires in Brazil. Water Mist runs began after the leak was stopped.

Ramon reported a giant dust storm over the Atlantic Ocean that provided three days of MEIDEX observations. Ground teams confirmed predicted weather and climate effects and found a huge smoke plume in a large cumulus cloud over the Amazon jungle. BIOTUBE experiment ground teams reported growth rates and root curvatures in plant and flax roots different from anything seen in normal gravity on Earth. The crew received procedures from Mission Con-trol for vacuum cleanup and taping of the Water Separator Assembly prior to re-entry. Temperatures in two Biopack culture chambers were too high for normal cell growth, so several Biopack experiments were terminated.

Final samples and readings were taken for the Physiology and Biochemistry team experiments. Husband, McCool, and Chawla ran landing simulations on the computer training system. Husband found no excess water in the SPACEHAB sub-floor, but as a precaution, he covered several holes in the Water Separator Assembly

The Water Mist Experiment concluded and the combustion module was closed. MEIDEX made final observations of dust concentrations, sprites, and elves. Husband, McCool, and Chawla completed their second computer-based landing simulation. A flight control system checkout was performed satisfactorily using Auxiliary Power Unit 1, with a run time of 5 minutes, 27 seconds.

After the flight control system checkout, a Reaction Control System "hot-fire" was performed during which all thrusters were fired for at least 240 milliseconds. The Ku-band antenna and the radiator on the left payload bay door were stowed.

All onboard experiments were concluded and stowed, and payload doors and covers were closed. Preparations were completed for de-orbit, re-entry, and landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Suit checks confirmed that proper pressure would be maintained during re-entry and landing. The pay-load bay doors were closed. Husband and McCool config-ured the onboard computers with the re-entry software, and placed Columbia in the proper attitude for the de-orbit burn.