Aboard Spacelab-1 during STS-9 in 1983 are, from left, Mission Specialist Robert Parker, Payload Specialist Byron Lichtenberg, Mission Specialist Owen Garriott and Payload Specialist Ulf Merbold. (Credit: NASA)
By Jessica Eagan
International Space Station Program Science Office
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Rewind to the year 1983. NASA astronaut Sally Ride is the first American woman to visit the depths of the universe. Guion Bluford is the first African-American astronaut in space. Microsoft Word is first released. Michael Jackson performs the popular dance move forever known as the “Moonwalk.” Also 30 years ago on Nov. 28: The launch of Spacelab-1, a reusable laboratory with a legacy that still lives on through the International Space Station.