The STS-107 crew meet with the media in front of the grandstand.

The STS-107 crew meet with the media in front of the grandstand. With the microphone is Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. Others, from left, are Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William "Willie" McCool, Ramon, Mission Specialist David Brown, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, and Mission Specialists Laurel Clark and Kalpana Chawla. The crew just finished Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, including a simulated launch countdown, in preparation for launch planned for Jan. 16, 2003, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. STS-107 is a mission devoted to research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety.

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