SPACE.com -- STS 99 -- Mission Summary


	STS 99 -- Mission Summary posted: 05:53 pm ET 08 February 2000

STS-99

This flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour will be the 97th shuttle mission and the 14th flight for this orbiter. The primary mission is to use radar imagery to map the surface of the Earth.

Crew:

Kevin R. Kregel, Mission Commander
Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie, Pilot
Janet L. Kavandi, Mission Specialist
Janice E. Voss, Mission Specialist
Mamoru Mohri, Mission Specialist
Gerhard P.J. Thiele, Mission Specialist

Mission Objectives:

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is an international project. Spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and NASA, it is to gather data that will produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. SRTM is a specially modified radar system designed to take 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.

Schedule:

Launch Date: February 11, 2000 at 12:30 EST
Launch Window: 2 hours 10 minutes
Landing: Feb. 22, 2000 4:38pm EST
Duration: 11 days, 4 hours

Vehicle Data:

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,520,415 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Liftoff Weight: 256,560 lbs.
Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 225,669 lbs.
Payload Weight: SRTM - 14.5 tons

Orbit:

Altitude: 126 nautical miles
Inclination: 57 degrees
Orbits: 181 (Estimated)
Duration: 11 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes (Estimated)