1999: Through 27 July, the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93) flew a mission to deploy a new satellite, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to watch X-rays from high-energy regions of the universe. In the mission, Col Eileen Collins, the first female pilot of a space shuttle, became the first female commander of a space shuttle mission. This marked the 95th launch of the Space Shuttle, the 26th launch of Columbia, and the 21st night launch of a Space Shuttle. STS-93 would be Columbia’s last mission until March 2002. (STS-93 crew with E. Collins, S. Hawley, J. Ashby, M. Tognini, and C. Coleman)
