KSC-98pc1692

In the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 3, during the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT) for mission STS-93, crew members pose for a photograph . From left they are Mission Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialist Michel Tognini of France. Above Ashby's head is Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman. Not shown is Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley. Collins is the first woman to serve as a mission commander on a shuttle flight. The CEIT provides an opportunity for crew members to check equipment and facilities that will be aboard the orbiter during their mission. The STS-93 mission will deploy the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), which comprises three major elements: the spacecraft, the telescope, and the science instrument module (SIM). AXAF will allow scientists from around the world to obtain unprecedented X-ray images of a variety of high-energy objects to help understand the structure and evolution of the universe. Targeted date for the launch of STS-93 is March 18, 1999