
STS-93 Commander Eileen M. Collins signs autographs after a mission presentation for KSC employees. The five-day mission primarily released the Chandra X-ray Observatory, allowing scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. Chandra is expected to provide unique and crucial information on the nature of objects ranging from comets in our solar system to quasars at the edge of the observable universe. Since X-rays are absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, space-based observatories are necessary to study these phenomena and allow scientists to analyze some of the greatest mysteries of the universe. STS-93 was also the first mission to have a woman serving as Shuttle commander
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NASA ID
KSC-99pp1059
Date Created
August 19, 1999
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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Medium
960px