Space shuttle Columbia missionIn 1993, space shuttle Columbia was launched on the second German sponsored D-2 Spacelab Mission lasting until 6 May. Some 88 experiments covered materials and life sciences, technology applications, Earth observations, astronomy and atmospheric physics. Some 240 tadpoles and 240 fish larvae were flown to test how their bodies adjusted to weightlessness in space; most of the specimens died in ordit. Mission specialist Dr. Bernard Harris set up the first I.V. (intravenous) line in space, injecting payload specialist Hans Schlegel with saline as part of a study to replace body fluids lost during adaptation to weightlessness. This mission brought the shuttle program's cumulative flight time to one year. |
