Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing on Cape Canaveral (KSC).

Mission "Life and Microgravity Spacelab". The crew entered the 40 foot (13 m) long pressurised Spacelab module to commence over 40 science experiments to take place during the mission. Not only did these experiments make use of the module’s laboratory, but also employed lockers in the middeck section of the Columbia Orbiter herself. Thirteen of the experiments were dedicated to studying the effects of microgravity on the human body, whilst another six studied the behaviour of fluids and metals in the almost weightless environment and the production of metallic alloys and protein crystals. The crew also carried out the first ever comprehensive study of sleep patterns in microgravity, research into bone & muscle loss in space, and inflight fixes to problem hardware on the Bubble, Drop and Particle Unit (BDPU), designed to study fluid physics.experiments in the areas of life science and materials science. Experiments for planned long duration missions onboard the ISS were performed. It was the longest shuttle flight to date.