Space Shuttle NASA Mission Reports: 1999 Missions, STS-96, STS-93, STS-103

These official final program mission reports issued by the NASA Johnson Space Center cover missions in 1999: STS-96, STS-93, and STS-103. In these thorough reports, with information and specifics not available on NASA website mission descriptions, each orbiter system is reviewed in detail along with technical information on performance and anomalies.

STS-96: The primary objective of the STS-96 mission was to provide the International Space Station (ISS) Program with logistics capability for transfer to the Orbiting ISS Stage 2A, utilizing a double Spacehab module and Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC) and the Orbiter crew compartment. Prior to undocking, one scheduled extravehicular activity (EVA) was performed for external equipment transfer. In addition, the secondary objectives of this flight included performing the requirements for the Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite for Heuristic International Networking Experiment (STARSHINE) and Shuttle Vibration Forces (SVF).

STS-93: The primary objective of the STS-93 mission was to deploy the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility-Imaging (AXAF-I), which was renamed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO). Secondary objectives were to perform the operations of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Local Exhaust (SIMPLEX), Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS), Gelation of Sols: Applied Microgravity Research (GOSAMR), Space Tissue Loss-B (STL-B), Lightweight Flexible Solar Array Hinge (LFSAH), Cell Culture Module (CCM), Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment - II (SAREX-II), Plant Growth Investigations in Microgravity (PGIM), Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA), Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), and the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC).

STS-103: The primary objectives of the STS-103 flight were to perform the operations necessary to fulfill the third on-orbit servicing requirements for the HST. The servicing tasks included replacement of the six gyroscopes that make up the three Rate Sensor Units (RSUs), completion of the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) valve-opening procedure, and installation of six Voltage Improvement Kits (VIKs). Additional tasks included the installation of a new computer, the installation of a fine guidance sensor, the replacement of the HST S-band Single Access Transmitter, the replacement of the Solid State Recorder, and the replacement of the worn multilayer insulation.