
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 lowered into 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

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 lowered 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier with the Soft Capture Mechanism is moved toward the payload canister. The canister will deliver the FSS 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

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is filled with hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. From the bottom are the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism and Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH. At center is the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. At top is the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload ground-handling mechanism, known as the PGHM, is retracted after installing the payloads in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, at right, for the STS-125 mission. The payload includes the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier with the Soft Capture Mechanism; the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH; the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is filled with hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. At the bottom is the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism. At center is the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. At top is the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is filled with hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. At the bottom are the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism and Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH. At center is the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. At top is the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay is filled with hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. From the bottom are the Flight Support System with the Soft Capture mechanism and Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH; the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera; and the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier with the Wide Field Camera 3. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload ground-handling mechanism, known as the PGHM, is retracted after installing the payloads in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay for the STS-125 mission. Seen here are the service platforms of the PGHM. The payload includes the Flight Support System, or FSS, carrier with the Soft Capture Mechanism; the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment, or MULE, carrier with the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH; the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier, or ORUC, with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and an IMAX 3D camera. Atlantis' crew will service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time. The flight will include five spacewalks during 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/Kim Shiflett