October 21, 1995
Web posted at: 2:30 p.m. EDT
SPACE CENTER, Houston, Texas (CNN) -- The seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia prepared to set fires on their craft Saturday -- just one of several experiments the scientific mission will perform during its 16 days in space.
Shortly after they reached orbit Friday on Columbia's seventh launch attempt since Sept. 28, the crew began crystal-growth experiments, lighting an 1,800-degree Fahrenheit oven to bake semi-conductor material and various metals in the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory. The USML, in orbit for the second time, allows astronauts to conduct experiments without gravitational constraints.
The fire experiments are designed to give scientists an
opportunity to observe how flames spread in weightlessness
and to learn more about fighting fires in space. The
astronauts are also serving as orbiting farmers, growing
potatoes to see how they can be used to supply food for
extended space travel.
Astronauts are working around the clock in two shifts -- named the "red" team and "blue" team. In addition to the microgravity experiments, on Saturday the astronauts also tested a new link with ground systems that allows video images and data to be transmitted at the same time.
This is Columbia's 18th flight. The shuttle is scheduled to return to Earth at 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 GMT) on Nov. 5, six days before sister ship Atlantis takes off for the second shuttle rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir. Atlantis was originally scheduled to launch Nov. 1, but Columbia's delays forced NASA to push back Atlantis' launch as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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