STS-87 was a
Space Shuttle mission launched from Launch Complex 39B of the
Kennedy Space Center on 19 November 1997. It was the 88th flight of the Space Shuttle, and the 24th flight of
Columbia. The mission goals were to conduct experiments using the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4), conduct two
EVAs, and to deploy the SPARTAN-201 experiment. This mission marked the first time an EVA was performed from
Columbia. An EVA from
Columbia was originally planned for
STS-5 in 1982, but was cancelled due to spacesuit problems. It also marked the first EVA conducted by a Japanese astronaut,
Takao Doi.