Spaces shuttle Columbia 19 (STS 75) launches into orbit. Rajindra Dhanraj takes 9-97 for Trinidad against Leeward Islands and Walt Disney Company officially launches Disney.com
The space shuttle Columbia, its rockets spewing orange fire and a long trail of white vapor, blasted its way into earth orbit on this day, carrying two American astronauts on a daring journey to test the world's first re-usable spaceship.
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The primary objective of STS-75 was to carry the Tethered Satellite System Reflight (TSS-1R) into orbit and to deploy it spaceward on a conducting tether.
The mission also flew the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-3) designed to investigate materials science and condensed matter physics.
The TSS-1R mission was a reflight of TSS-1 which was flown onboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-46 in July/August 1992.
The Tether Satellite System circled the Earth at an altitude of 296 kilometers, placing the tether system within the rarefied electrically charged layer of the atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
STS-75 mission scientists hoped to deploy the tether to a distance of 20.7 kilometers (12.9 mi; 11.2 nmi). Over 19 kilometers (12 mi; 10 nmi) of the tether were deployed (over a period of 5 hours) before the tether broke.
Many pieces of floating debris were produced by the plasma discharge and rupture of the tether, and some collided with it. The satellite remained in orbit for a number of weeks and was easily visible from the ground.
Also on this day, Rajindra Dhanraj takes 9-97 for Trinidad against Leeward Islands
TheWalt Disney Company officially launches Disney.com, marking a significant milestone in the company's digital transformation.
The initial website focused on providing travel information for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as promoting Disney merchandise, signaling the company's early adoption of internet marketing strategies.