This week in 1999, space shuttle Columbia, mission STS-93, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on a four-day mission to deliver the Chandra X-ray Observatory to low-Earth orbit. Chandra was then be propelled to an orbit of 44,759 miles in altitude using a two-stage Inertial Upper Stage. This was the first mission in shuttle history to be commanded by a woman, astronaut Eileen Collins. Here, Chandra’s High Resolution Camera is integrated with the High Resolution Mirror Assembly in the 24-foot vacuum chamber at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s X-ray and Cryogenic Facility. Marshall manages the Chandra program. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)