KSC-01PP-1799

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the company of two technicians (left), STS-109 crew members look over equipment related to their mission. Holding the equipment is Mission Specialist Richard Linnehan (left); at center is Payload Commander John Grunsfeld; at right is Mission Specialist Michael Massimino. STS-109, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing mission, is Massimino's first Shuttle flight. The crew is at KSC to take part in Crew Equipment Interface Test activities that include familiarization with the orbiter and equipment. The goal of the mission is to service the HST, replacing Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replacing the Power Control Unit, removing the Faint Object Camera and installing the Advanced Camera for Surveys, installing the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and installing New Outer Blanket Layer insulation on bays 5 through 8. Mission STS-109 is scheduled for launch Feb. 14, 2002