KSC-99pp1434

The STS-103 crew pose for photographers with their loved ones at Launch Pad 39B. Space Shuttle Discovery is in the background, next to the Fixed Service Structure lit up like a Christmas tree. Viewed left to right are Mission Specialist Steven L. Smith and his wife, Peggy; Pilot Scott J. Kelly and his wife, Leslie; Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. and his fiancee, Ann Brickert; Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale; Laurence Clervoy and her husband, Mission Specialist Jean-François Clervoy; Mission Specialist John M. Grunsfeld and his wife, Carol; Mission Specialist Claude Nicollier and his wife, Susana. Nicollier and Clervoy are with the European Space Agency. The mission, to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled for launch Dec. 17 at 8:47 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39B. Mission objectives include replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. The mission is expected to last about 8 days and 21 hours. Discovery is expected to land at KSC Sunday, Dec. 26, at about 6:25 p.m. EST