
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The STS-109 crew enjoys an early morning snack that includes a symbolic cake with the mission logo, part of a ritual before a launch. Seated, left to right, are MIssion Specialists Michael Massimino and James Newman; Pilot Duane Carey; Commander Scott Altman; and Mission Specialists Nancy Currie, John Grunsfeld and Richard Linnehan. On mission STS-109, the crew will capture the Hubble Space Telescope using the Shuttle’s robotic arm and secure it on a workstand in Columbia's payload bay. Four mission specialists will perform five scheduled spacewalks to complete system upgrades to the telescope. More durable solar arrays, a large gyroscopic assembly to help point the telescope properly, a new telescope power control unit, and a cooling system to restore the use of a key infrared camera and spectrometer unit, which has been dormant since 1999, will all be installed. In addition, the telescope's view of the Universe will be improved with the addition of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), which replaces the Faint Object Camera, the last of Hubble's original instruments. Mission STS-109 is the 27th flight of the orbiter Columbia and the 108th flight overall in NASA’s Space Shuttle program. After the 11-day mission, STS-109 is scheduled to land about 4:35 a.m. EST on March 12
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
02pd0207
Date Created
March 1, 2002
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
Large
1920px