| Date |
Milestone |
| August 19, 1999 |
Chandra official first light image recorded by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS). |
| August 12, 1999 |
The Sunshade door opens allowing X-ray to enter the telescope for the first time. |
| August 7, 1999 |
Chandra reaches its planned operating orbit. |
| July 23, 1999 |
Shuttle Columbia launched and the Chandra X-ray Observatory successfully deployed. |
| June 27, 1999 |
Chandra transferred into Columbia's payload bay. |
| June 16, 1999 |
Chandra and IUS-27 booster successfully complete Payload Readiness Review. |
| June 8, 1999 |
Launch planned for no earlier than July 20. End-to-end test on Chandra/IUS successful |
| June 1, 1999 |
Inertial Upper Stage-27 delivered to the VPF. |
| April 27, 1999 |
NASA decided to postpone mating Chandra with its IUS booster. |
| March 17, 1999 |
A full state-of-health test successfully completed at KSC. |
| February 4, 1999 |
TRW* ships NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to KSC |
| February 2, 1999
|
NASA decides to proceed with the
shipment of Chandra TRW* to KSC, on Thurs, Feb. 4, 1999
|
| January 20, 1999
|
NASA delays shipment of the Chandra X-ray Observatory from TRW* to KSC
|
| January 14, 1999
|
TRW* unveils the completed Chandra X-ray Observatory
|
| December 21, 1998
|
The Chandra X-ray Observatory to be shipped to NASA's
Kennedy Space Center, on or before Jan. 28
|
| October 13, 1998
|
NASA delays shipment of AXAF
from TRW* to Kennedy Space Center
|
| July 7, 1998
|
AXAF successfully completes its thermal vacuum test.
|
| March 12, 1998
|
Assembly of AXAF is completed at TRW*!
|
| February 13, 1998
|
NASA plans a 3 December launch of AXAF.
|
| November 1997
|
TRW* experiences delays in assembly and testing of
AXAF.
|
| June - October 1997
|
The Mirror Assembly is shipped to TRW*.
|
| March - May 1997
|
The testing of the Scientific Instruments is completed.
|
| December 1996 - March 1997
|
AXAF support team at Marshall Space Flight
Center completes a series of rigorous tests of the X-ray Mirror Assembly.
|
| February - December 1996
|
The coated mirrors are transported to Eastman
Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, where they are assembled.
|
| July 1995 - February 1996
|
The coating of the mirrors with iridium is successfully completed.
|
| December 1991 - July 1995
|
The grinding and polishing of the grazing-incidence mirrors are completed.
|
