KSC-99pp0958
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Billowing clouds of smoke and steam rise with the roaring Space Shuttle Columbia as it launches into the night sky on mission STS-93. After two unsuccessful attempts on previous nights, liftoff occurred at 12:31 a.m. EDT. STS-93 is a five-day mission primarily to release the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The crew numbers five: Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as commander of a Space Shuttle. The target landing date is July 27, 1999, at 11:20 p.m. EDT
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Details
NASA ID
KSC-99pp0958
Date Created
July 23, 1999
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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