Virtual Tour of Columbia and the MSL-1 Payload




The Event: You are about to enter the Space Shuttle Columbia as it appeared 28 days prior to launch


The Place: Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) Bay-1


The Setting: Picture yourself at 28 days before the launch of Columbia. The payload, the Micro-Gravity Science Laboratory-1, is nestled in Columbia's payload bay and is being inspected for readiness one final time. The hatches are about to be sealed before it moves along with the orbiter to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to be mated to the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and External Tank (ET) which will carry the spacecraft into orbit. The Space Shuttle will be rolled out to the launch pad 7 days later, approximately 17 days before launch.

Guide yourself through Columbia's crew cabin and the MSL-1 payload using the online Navigation Remote and view it as it was just before it rolled over to the VAB. Pictures and descriptions mark your way as you see what KSC technicians and engineers see while they work in one of NASA's Space Shuttle Orbiters.

Start the tour in the White Room at the hatch into Columbia's crew cabin middeck.

NOTE: This tour uses frames and animated gif images. Ensure your browser is capable of viewing both prior to entering.

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Page Design: Darren Beyer (darren.beyer-1@ksc.nasa.gov)