Blue mach diamonds from the main engine nozzles and bright exhaust from the solid rocket boosters mark the successful launch of space shuttle Endeavour 25 years ago on Feb. 11, 2000. The STS-99 mission crew – including astronauts from NASA, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), and the European Space Agency (ESA) – were aboard the shuttle.
This mission saw the deployment of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission mast and the antenna turned to its operation position. After a successful checkout of the radar systems, mapping began less than 12 hours after launch. Crewmembers split into two shifts so they could work around the clock.
Also aboard Endeavour was a student experiment called EarthKAM, which took 2,715 digital photos during the mission through an overhead flight-deck window. The NASA-sponsored program lets middle school students select photo targets and receive the images via the Internet.
Image credit: NASA
来自主发动机喷嘴的蓝色马赫钻石（Blue Mach Diamonds）和固体火箭助推器的明亮尾焰标志着奋进号航天飞机在25年前的成功发射（2000年2月11日）。STS-99任务的机组成员包括来自NASA（美国国家航空航天局）、NASDA（日本国家宇宙开发机构）和ESA（欧洲航天局）的宇航员。
此次任务中，航天飞机雷达地形测绘任务（Shuttle Radar Topography Mission，SRTM）的桅杆成功展开，天线调整至工作位置。在雷达系统顺利测试后，发射不到12小时，测绘工作正式开始。机组成员分为两班轮流值班，以确保全天候不间断作业。
此外，一项名为EarthKAM（地球遥感摄影实验）的学生实验也搭载在奋进号上。该实验在任务期间通过航天飞机飞行甲板上的顶部舷窗拍摄了2,715张数字照片。这是由NASA赞助的项目，允许中学生选择拍摄目标，并通过互联网接收拍摄的图像。
图片来源: NASA
