Payload Specialist, Fred Leslie changing samples in (CGF) Crystal Growth Furnace onboard STS-73, USML-2.

These five astronauts and two United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML) payload specialists pause from a rigid training schedule for the STS-73 crew portrait. On the front row, left to right, are Albert Sacco Jr., payload specialist; Kent V. Rominger, pilot; and Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, mission specialist. On the back row are, left to right, Catherine G. Coleman, mission specialist; Kenneth D. Bowersox, commander; Fred W. Leslie, payload specialist; and Kathryn C. Thornton, payload commander. The STS-073 crew launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on October 20, 1995 at 9:53:00.069 am (EDT). The mission served as the second flight of the Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2).

Paylaod Specialist, Fred Leslie working on experiment.

S95-09157 (27 Apr. 1995) --- Payload specialist Fred W. Leslie has just translated from the top of a Shuttle mockup-trainer using a Sky-genie device during emergency egress training with his six STS-73 crew mates. He is assisted here by Scott Gill, a member of the STS-73 training staff. The seven will fly aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia later this year to support the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission.

Onboard photo of space shuttle Columbia (STS-73) crewmembers Fred Leslie (foreground) and Catherine Coleman aboard the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML) conducting experiments in a microgravitational environment available in the Orbiter's cargo bay while in low earth orbit.

STS073-E-5041 (26 Oct. 1995) --- Fred W. Leslie, STS-73 payload specialist, working out of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in Alabama, grabs a support bar on a science workstation rack after floating from the space shuttle Columbia's cabin into the science module. Leslie is one of seven crewmembers in the midst of a 16-day multi-faceted mission aboard Columbia. For the next week and a half, Leslie and the rest of the crew will continue working in shifts around the clock on a diverse assortment of United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) experiments located in the science module. Fields of study include fluid physics, materials science, biotechnology, combustion science and commercial space processing technologies. The frame was exposed with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC).

STS073-233-032 (20 October - 5 November 1995) --- Astronaut Michael E. Lopez-Alegria (left), STS-73 mission specialist, assists payload specialist Fred W. Leslie in an in-flight maintenance task involving the Fiber Support Droplet Combustion (FSDC) experiment. This new Glovebox investigation tests a technique for studying combustion in the weightless environment of space. The two joined five other crew members onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia for 16 days of in-space research in support of the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission.

STS073-S-002 (July 1995) --- These five astronauts and two United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML) payload specialists pause from a rigid training schedule for the STS-73 crew portrait. On the front row, left to right, are Albert Sacco Jr., payload specialist; Kent V. Rominger, pilot; Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, mission specialist. On the back row are, left to right, Catherine G. Coleman, mission specialist; Kenneth D. Bowersox, commander; Fred W. Leslie, payload specialist; and Kathryn C. Thornton, payload commander.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia soars into the cloud-washed sky above Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. After six scrubs from the original Sept. 25 launch date, liftoff occurred Oct. 20 at 9:53 a.m. EDT. The crew of seven comprises Commander Ken Bowersox, Pilot Kent Rominger, Mission Specialists Kathy Thornton (Payload Commander), Catherine Coleman and Michael Lopez-Alegria, plus Payload Specialists Fred Leslie and Albert Sacco. The 72nd Shuttle mission, STS-73 marks the second flight of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory. Research is being conducted in five areas: fluid physics, materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, and commercial space processing. The lighthouse, undergoing refurbishment and upgrade, is shown with a network of nylon lines ready for canvas panels to be attached. The canvas shroud will protect the surrounding area during sand-blasting of the lead-based paint.