Mission Objectives

The primary objective of the STS-93 mission is the deployment of the $1.5 billion Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the third in NASA's series of "Great Observatories". Astronaut Cady Coleman is scheduled to deploy the observatory about seven hours after liftoff. Chandra will spend the next five years in a highly elliptical orbit which will take it one-third of the way to the moon to study invisible and often violent sources of astronomical activity in the distant universe. Secondary objectives include the firing of Columbia's jet thrusters at various times during the flight to help an Air Force satellite gather data on the characteristics of jet plumes in orbit. In addition, crew members will operate the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, a small telescope which will be mounted at the side hatch window in Columbia's middeck to collect data on ultraviolet light originating from a variety of planetary bodies. Pilot Jeff Ashby and Mission Specialists Steve Hawley and Michel Tognini will conduct an in-flight assessment of an exercise system planned for the International Space Station. The on-orbit treadmill, referred to as the Treadmill Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (TVIS) system, should provide the crew with a reliable exercise device while also meeting International Space Station (ISS) load transmission requirements to avoid disrupting on-orbit experiments.

Crew
Commander:	Eileen M. Collins
Pilot:	Jeffrey S. Ashby
Mission Specialist 1:	Cady G. Coleman
Mission Specialist 2:	Steven A. Hawley
Mission Specialist 3:	Michel Tognini

Launch
Orbiter:	Columbia OV102
Launch Site:	KSC Pad 39-B
Launch Window:	46 minutes
Altitude:	153 nautical miles
Inclination:	28.45 degrees
Duration:	4 Days 22 Hrs. 56 Min.

Vehicle Data
Shuttle Liftoff Weight:	4,524,727 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight:	270,142 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight:	219,980 lbs.

Payload Weights
SWUIS	60 lb.
	50,162 lbs.

Software Version:

OI-26B

Space Shuttle Main Engines: (1 MB pdf)
SSME 1:  #2012	SSME 2:  #2031	SSME 3:  #2019

External Tank:   ET-99

SRB Set:  BI-097
Auxiliary Power Units: (900 KB pdf)
APU-1: SN 401	APU-2: SN 410	APU-3: SN 304
Fuel Cells: (1.4 MB pdf)
FC-1: SN 113	FC-2: SN 125	FC-3: SN 115

Shuttle Aborts

Abort Landing Sites    RTLS:  Kennedy Space Center    TAL:    Banjul (prime); Ben Guerir (alternate)    AOA:   Edwards Air Force Base, California

Shuttle Abort History

Landing
Landing Date:	07/24/99
Landing Time:	11:32 PM (eastern time)
Primary Landing Site:	Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility

Payloads

Cargo Bay

Chandra X-Ray Observatory

In-Cabin

Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity 1

Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System

Gelation of Sols: Applied Microgravity Research

Space Tissue Loss

Lightweight Flexible Solar Array Hinge

Cell Culture Model, Configuration C

Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus

Micro-Electromechanical Systems

Biological Research in Canisters