SPACEPHOTOS

(02/01/2002) -- After emergency exit practice on Launch Pad 39A, the STS-109 crew poses for a photo on the 225-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure. Clockwise from left are Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld; Pilot Duane Carey; Mission Specialist Richard Linnehan; Commander Scott Altman; and Mission Specialists Michael Massimino, James Newman and Nancy Currie. Behind them at left can be seen one of the twin solid rocket boosters and the larger external tank that will propel Columbia and the crew into space. The goal of mission STS-109, a Hubble Servicing Mission, is to replace Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replace the Power Control Unit, remove the Faint Object Camera and install the ACS, install the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and install New Outer Blanket Layer insulation. The launch will be the first for Columbia after returning from California where it underwent extensive maintenance, inspections and enhancements. More than 100 upgrades make Columbia safer and more reliable than ever before. Columbia is scheduled to be launched Feb. 28