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STS-93 Mission Specialists C
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| Description |
STS-93 Mission Specialists Catherine Coleman (left) and Michel Tognini of France (right), representing the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), look over material on the mission payload behind them, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chandra is being mated with the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) before testing to validate the IUS/Chandra connections and to check the orbiter avionics interfaces. Following that, an end-to-end test (ETE) will be conducted to verify the communications path to Chandra, commanding it as if it were in space. With the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 22 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93 |
| Release Date |
06/04/1999 |
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STS-93 Mission Specialists C
…
| Description |
STS-93 Mission Specialists Catherine Coleman (left) and Michel Tognini of France (right), who represents the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), look over the controls for the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chandra is being mated with the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) before testing to validate the IUS/Chandra connections and to check the orbiter avionics interfaces. Following that, an end-to-end test (ETE) will be conducted to verify the communications path to Chandra, commanding it as if it were in space. With the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. Chandra is scheduled for launch July 22 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-93 |
| Release Date |
06/04/1999 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia soars into the cloud-washed sky above Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. After six scrubs from the original Sept. 25 launch date, liftoff occurred Oct. 20 at 9:53 a.m. EDT. The crew of seven comprises Commander Ken Bowersox, Pilot Kent Rominger, Mission Specialists Kathy Thornton (Payload Commander), Catherine Coleman and Michael Lopez-Alegria, plus Payload Specialists Fred Leslie and Albert Sacco. The 72nd Shuttle mission, STS-73 marks the second flight of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory. Research is being conducted in five areas: fluid physics, materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, and commercial space processing. The lighthouse, undergoing refurbishment and upgrade, is shown with a network of nylon lines ready for canvas panels to be attached. The canvas shroud will protect the surrounding area during sand-blasting of the lead-based paint. |
| Release Date |
10/25/1995 |
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