Payload bay with Spacelab pointing to Earth's surface

STS073-326-021 (20 October - 5 November 1995) --- The darkness of space and the Atlantic coast of southern Africa form the backdrop for this scene. Five NASA astronauts and two guest researchers spent almost 16 days of research in this science module affixed in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Columbia in Earth-orbit. The tunnel in bottom foreground served as the busy passageway for the seven crew members, who split their forces into two shifts. South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope are the dominant features that can be delineated in the Earth scene.