KSC-08pd1997

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Canister Rotation Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers steam clean the shipping containers holding the first major flight hardware for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The containers will next be moved to the airlock in the Payload Hazardous Servicing facility where the hardware will be prepared for its targeted October launch. The payload carriers will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the servicing mission. The three payload carriers or pallets are the Flight Support System, the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier. At the end of July, a fourth and final carrier, the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier will join the others in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller