Astro alum flying high until Saturday’s re-entry

Up, up and away — that’s where UW–Madison alumna Laurel Blair Salton Clark went when the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 16. The flight is expected to return to earth this Saturday, Feb. 1.

While recent shuttle missions have continued the assembly of the International Space Station, the goal of this one is to conduct around-the-clock science. During the 16-day mission, Clark and six other crewmembers will have performed more than 80 on-board experiments in biology, physics and chemistry.

Among the projects are two led by UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics. One will investigate the effects of weightlessness on the genetic transformation of plants; the other will look specifically at changes in the production of scents produced by two aromatic plants.

Selected by NASA in April 1996, Clark is on her first spaceflight mission. She is a commander in the U.S. Navy and a naval flight surgeon. Originally from Racine, Wis., she received her bachelor’s degree in zoology (1983) and medical degree (1987) from UW–Madison. Information about the mission or to contact Clark: Eileen Hawley, (281) 483-5111 or Eileen.hawley1@jsc.nasa.gov. Information about the WCSAR projects: Weijia Zhou, 262-5526 or wzhou@engr.wisc.edu.