KSC00pp0116

In the Operations and Checkout Building, the STS-99 crew gathers for breakfast before suiting up for launch. From left are Mission Specialists Mamoru Mohri (Ph.D.) and Janice Voss (Ph.D.); Pilot Dominic Gorie; Commander Kevin Kregel; and Mission Specialists Janet Lynn Kavandi (Ph.D.) and Gerhard Thiele. Mohri is with the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, and Thiele is with the European Space Agency. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, liftoff is scheduled for 12:47 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39A. The SRTM will chart a new course to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. The mission is expected to last about 11days, with Endeavour landing at KSC Friday, Feb. 11, at 4:55 p.m. EST