-V3 plane of the Hubble Space Telescope

STS109-E-5053 (3 March 2002) --- The base of the Hubble Space Telescope is latched down on a special support structure in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The bay's Flight Support System, as the structure (partially visible at bottom frame) is called, will hold the telescope for the next week, turning and tilting it as needed for the spacewalking work. Astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, was in control of the Shuttle's remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm and astronaut Scott D. Altman, mission commander, was at the controls of the shuttle. The crew used a digital still camera to record a series of images documenting the fourth docking of a shuttle to the giant telescope during its tenure in space.