SPACEPHOTOS

(02/28/2002) - The Rotating Service Structure has rolled back to launch position for the second time in two days after a scrub of mission STS-109 the day before. NASA managers had determined the unseasonably cold weather predicted at launch time was at the margin of acceptable limits. This view shows Space Shuttle Columbia atop the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A. Twin solid rocket boosters flank the orange-colored external tank. Above the tank is the 'beanie cap,' the gaseous oxygen vent hood. Below the MLP is the flame trench that helps deflect the intense heat and flames away from the vehicle as it lifts off. Columbia is rescheduled for launch on mission STS-109 March 1 at 6:22 a.m. EST (11:22 GMT). The 11-day mission will provide maintenance and upgrade to the Hubble Space Telescope, replacing Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replacing the Power Control Unit, installing the ACS (after removing the Faint Object Camera ), the Near Infrared Camera, the Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and the New Outer Blanket Layer insulation.