Columbia carried the first Spacelab module and first astronaut to represent the European Space Agency (ESA), Ulf Merbold of (West) Germany. ESA and NASA jointly sponsored Spacelab-1 and conducted investigations which demonstrated the feasibility of advanced research in space. 9th Space Shuttle Mission 6th Flight of Columbia Crew: John W. Young, Commander Brewster H. Shaw, Jr., Pilot Owen K. Garriott, Mission Specialist Robert A.R. Parker, Mission Specialist Byron K. Lichtenberg, Payload Specialist Ulf Merbold, Payload Specialist
