KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia is backed out of its Orbiter Processing Facility bay as it starts its move to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The orbiter is being prepared to fly on mission STS-107 now targeted for no earlier than Jan. 16, 2003. The STS-107 mission will be dedicated to microgravity research. The payloads include the Hitchhiker Bridge, a carrier for the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) incorporating eight high priority secondary attached Shuttle experiments, and the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), also known as SPACEHAB.
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date November 20, 2002