STS-93 Chandra X-Ray Observatory 07/22/1999 07/27/1999 95th Space Shuttle Mission 26th Flight of Columbia Crew: Eileen M. Collins, Commander Jeffrey S. Ashby, Pilot Steven A. Hawley, Mission Specialist Catherine G. Coleman, Mission Specialist Michel Tognini, Mission Specialist Eileen M. Collins became the first woman to serve as Space Shuttle Commander. Primary payload was the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was deployed on the first day of the mission. A two-stage Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster placed the Chandra X-ray Observatory in a transfer orbit of 205 by 44,759 miles in altitude.