CREW:
Posing with a model of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley, Michel Tognini, and Catherine G. Coleman. STS-93 is the first NASA shuttle mission commanded by a woman.

LAUNCH INFO:
Date: July 23, 1999
Time: 12:24 a.m. EDT
Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL

SHUTTLE FLIGHT:
Orbiter: Columbia (OV-103)
Orbit Altitude: 153 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 28.45 °
Mission Duration: 4 Days, 23 hours

LANDING INFO:
Date: July 27, 1999
Time: 11:20 p.m. EDT
Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL

PAYLOAD(S):

S*T*A*R*S Space Technology And Research Students
AXAF Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility
(AXAF was later renamed as Chandra X-Ray Observatory)
MSX Midcourse Space Experiment
SIMPLEX Shuttle Ionospheric Modification w/ Pulsed Local Exhaust
SWUIS Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System
GOSAMR Gelation of Sols: Applied Microcravity Research
STL-B Space Tissue Loss B
LFSAH Light Weight Flexible Solar Aray Hinge
CCM Cell Culture Module
SAREX-II Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment - II
PGIM Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity
CGBA Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus
MEMS Micro-Electrical Mechanical System
BRIC Biological Research in Canisters
EarthKAM Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students

MISSION PATCH:
Designed by the five crew members,
the STS-93 patch depicts the mission's objective to
carry the Chandra X-Ray Observatory into low Earth orbit.

[Download Mission Patch]

The primary objective of the STS-93 mission is to deploy the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility. AXAF is the most sophisticated X-ray observatory ever built. It is designed to observe X-rays from high energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars. This facility was recently renamed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in honor of the late Indian-American Nobel Laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. "Chandra" also means "Moon" or "luminous" in Sanskrit.

The Observatory has three major parts: (1) the X-ray telescope, whose mirrors will focus X-rays from celestial objects; (2) the science instruments which record the X-rays so that X-ray images can be produced and analyzed; and (3) the spacecraft, which provides the environment necessary for the telescope and the instruments to work.

STS-93 also saw the launch of the first Space Technology an Research Students (S*T*A*R*S) Program. Two schools designed life science experiments and received live shuttle downlink video used to compare space experiment results with classroom experiments. Five additional schools conducted ground-based experiments in conjunction with those flown by the lead schools.