
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In a burst of light and flames, Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from Launch Pad 39-B 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 Shuttle mission. The target landing date is July 27, 1999, at 11:20 p.m. EDT
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NASA ID
KSC-99pp0962
Date Created
July 23, 1999
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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Medium
960px