STS-73 was a space shuttle mission that launched on October 20, 1995, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The primary objective was to conduct scientific research in microgravity, focusing on materials science, biotechnology, and fluid mechanics. The mission lasted for 16 days, during which astronauts performed various experiments in the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2). STS-73 contributed valuable data that advanced our understanding of how materials and biological systems behave in space, paving the way for future research and technology development.