Chandra X-ray Observatory

Monday, June 7, 1999

Dave Drachlis
Media Relations Office
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
(256) 544-6538

Testing continues today at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to ensure the communications systems linking Earth to the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are working properly.

The test, called an end-to-end test, enables mission controllers to command the Chandra Observatory as if it were in space. Participating are Chandra's Operations Control Center in Cambridge, Mass.; Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston; Inertial Upper Stage Control Center at Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale, Calif.; and the communications assets of both the Deep Space Network and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system. The test, which began this morning, is scheduled to end tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8.

NASA continues to shoot for a July 22 launch date for the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-93 mission. However, this date is still under review.

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