KSC-2009-2680

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, is moved from its workstand toward the payload canister. The canister will deliver the ORUC and other carriers to Launch Pad 39A for installation in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis' 11-day flight to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is targeted for launch May 12. The mission will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014. Photo credit: NASA/Tim Jacobs