STS-80

STS-80 was a Space Shuttle Columbia mission flown in November and December 1996 with Kenneth Cockrell commanding, Kent Rominger as pilot, and Story Musgrave, Tamara Jernigan, and Thomas Jones as mission specialists. The crew deployed and later retrieved two free-flying payloads: ORFEUS-SPAS II for ultraviolet astronomy observations and the third Wake Shield Facility flight for ultra-vacuum materials research. Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39B on November 19 and returned to the Kennedy Shuttle Landing Facility on December 7 after 17 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes, and 18 seconds in orbit. At the time, it was the longest Space Shuttle mission yet flown. Two planned spacewalks by Jernigan and Jones were canceled after the outer airlock hatch would not open, so the mission is linked here without EVA activity records. STS-80 was also Story Musgrave's sixth and final spaceflight, completing a Shuttle career that included flights on all five operational orbiters.