Orbiter Endeavour's open payload bay doors reveal the payload on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission STS-99.

At Launch Pad 39A, orbiter Endeavour's open payload bay doors, reflecting the surrounding lights, reveal the payload on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, STS-99. The mission will chart a new course, using two antennae and a 200-foot-long section of space station-derived mast protruding from the payload bay to produce unrivaled 3-D images of the Earth's surface. The result of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission could be close to 1 trillion measurements of the Earth's topography. Besides contributing to the production of better maps, these measurements could lead to improved water drainage modeling, more realistic flight simulators, better locations for cell phone towers, and enhanced navigation safety. Launch of Endeavour on the 11-day mission is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 12:47 p.m. EST