An atomic parity non-conservation measurement can test the predictions of the standard model for the electron-quark coupling constants. The measurements, performed at very low energies compared to theZ0pole, can be sensitive to physics beyond the standard model. Francium, the heaviest alkali, is a viable candidate for atomic parity violation measurements. The extraction of weak interaction parameters requires a detailed knowledge of the electronic wavefunctions of the atom. Measurements of atomic properties of francium provide data for careful comparisons withab initiocalculations of its atomic structure. The spectroscopy, including energy level location and atomic lifetimes, is carried out using the recently developed techniques of laser cooling and trapping of atoms. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.