Affiche View of Earth from Space Shuttle Endeavour

A view of Earth and Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay with the remote manipulator system (RMS) arm raised over bay and the Sun shining directly into camera. Only the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU) is berthed in the payload bay. Liftoff of Mission STS- 72 occurred at 4:41:00.072 am EST, January 11, kicking off the 1996 Shuttle launch schedule. On board Endeavour are a crew of six: Commander Brian Duffy; Pilot Brent W. Jett; and Mission Specialists Dr. Daniel T. Barry, Leroy Chiao, Winston E. Scott, and Koichi Wakata, who represents the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan. During their planned nine-day mission, the crew will retrieve the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (SFU), deploy and later retrieve the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology-Flyer (OAST- Flyer), and conduct two extravehicular activities (EVAs). STS-72 is the 74th Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of the orbiter Endeavour.