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STS-109 (SM3B) was a Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
 mission that launched from the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center on Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard County, Florida, United States....
 on March 1, 2002. It was the 108th mission of the Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System , is the United States government's current Human spaceflight launch vehicle....
, the 27th flight of the orbiter Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. Its first mission, STS-1, lasted from April 12 to April 14, 1981....
 and the fourth servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a Space observatory that was carried into Low Earth orbit STS-31 in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble....
. It was also the last successful mission of the orbiter Columbia before the ill-fated STS-107
STS-107

STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit....
 mission, which became known as the Columbia Disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107....
.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was placed in orbit during mission STS-31
STS-31

STS-31 was the thirty-fifth mission of the American Space Shuttle program, which launched the Hubble Space Telescope astronomical observatory into LEO....
 on April 25, 1990.






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STS-109 (SM3B) was a Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
 mission that launched from the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center on Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard County, Florida, United States....
 on March 1, 2002. It was the 108th mission of the Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program

NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System , is the United States government's current Human spaceflight launch vehicle....
, the 27th flight of the orbiter Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. Its first mission, STS-1, lasted from April 12 to April 14, 1981....
 and the fourth servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a Space observatory that was carried into Low Earth orbit STS-31 in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble....
. It was also the last successful mission of the orbiter Columbia before the ill-fated STS-107
STS-107

STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit....
 mission, which became known as the Columbia Disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107....
.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was placed in orbit during mission STS-31
STS-31

STS-31 was the thirty-fifth mission of the American Space Shuttle program, which launched the Hubble Space Telescope astronomical observatory into LEO....
 on April 25, 1990. Initially designed to operate for 15 years, plans for periodic service and refurbishment were incorporated into it's mission from the start. After the successful completion of the second planned service mission (SM2) by the crew of STS-82
STS-82

STS-82 was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 11, 1997 and returned to earth on February 21, 1997 at Kennedy Space Center....
 in February of 1997, three of HST's six gyroscopes
Gyroscope

A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation , based on the principles of angular momentum. The device is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation....
 failed. NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
 decided to split the third planned service mission into two parts, SM3A and SM3B. A fifth and final servicing mission (SM4) is targeted for launch in May of 2009 The work performed during SM4 is expected to keep HST in operation through 2014. Further plans for servicing after SM4 are ambiguous as NASA is planning to launch HST's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope is a planned space infrared observatory, the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope. The main scientific goal is to observe the most distant objects in the universe, those beyond the reach of either ground based instruments or the Hubble....
 in 2013.

Crew

  • Scott D. Altman (3), Commander
  • Duane G. Carey
    Duane G. Carey

    Duane Gene "Digger" Carey is a former NASA Astronaut. Born April 30, 1957 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota. Married to the former Cheryl Ann Tobritzhofer of Saint Paul, Minnesota....
     (1), Pilot
  • John M. Grunsfeld
    John M. Grunsfeld

    John Mace Grunsfeld is an United States physicist and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four spaceflights and has also served as NASA Chief Scientist....
     (4), Payload Commander, Mission Specialist 1
  • Nancy J. Currie
    Nancy J. Currie

    Nancy Jane Sherlock Currie, Doctor of Philosophy is a United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut....
     (4), Mission Specialist 2
  • Richard M. Linnehan
    Richard M. Linnehan

    Richard Michael Linnehan is an United States veterinarian and a NASA astronaut....
     (3), Mission Specialist 3
  • James H. Newman
    James H. Newman

    James Hansen Newman is an United States astronaut with NASA....
     (4), Mission Specialist 4
  • Michael J. Massimino
    Michael J. Massimino

    Michael James Massimino is a NASA Astronaut....
     (1), Mission Specialist 5


Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Mission Parameters

  • Mass
    Mass

    In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
    :
    • Orbiter liftoff:
    • Orbiter landing:
  • Perigee:
  • Apogee:
  • Inclination
    Inclination

    Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or Axis_of_rotation of direction. The axial tilt is expressed as the angle made by the planet's axis and a line drawn through the planet's center perpendicular to the orbital plane....
    :     28.5°
  • Period
    Orbital period

    The orbital Periodicity is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars....
    :     95.3 min


Spacewalks


EVATeamStart - UTC End - UTCDuration
1 Grunsfeld
Linnehan		 March 4, 2002, 06:37 March 4, 2002, 13:38 7:01
2 Newman
Massimino		 March 5, 2002, 06:40 March 5, 2002, 13:56 7:16
3 Grunsfeld
Linnehan		 March 6, 2002, 08:28 March 6, 2002, 15:16 6:48
4 Newman
Massimino		 March 7, 2002, 09:00 March 7, 2002, 16:30 7:30
5 Grunsfeld
Linnehan		 March 8, 2002, 08:46 March 8, 2002, 16:06 7:20


Mission Highlights

Sts 109 Hst S109e5700
The purpose of STS-109 was to service the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a Space observatory that was carried into Low Earth orbit STS-31 in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble....
 (HST). It was Columbia's
Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. Its first mission, STS-1, lasted from April 12 to April 14, 1981....
 first flight following an extensive two and a half year modification period (its most recent mission being STS-93
STS-93

STS-93 marked the 95th launch of the Space Shuttle, the 26th launch of Space Shuttle Columbia, and the 21st night launch of a Space Shuttle. Eileen Collins became the first female shuttle Commander on this flight....
). During the mission they installed a new science instrument, the Advanced Camera for Surveys
Advanced Camera for Surveys

The Advanced Camera for Surveys is a third generation axial instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope . The initial design and scientific capabilities of ACS were defined by a team based at Johns Hopkins University....
 (ACS), new rigid Solar Arrays (SA3), new Power Control Unit (PCU) and a new Cryocooler for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). STS-109 also reboosted HST to a higher orbit.

The STS-109 astronauts performed a total of five spacewalks in five consecutive days to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The spacewalkers received assistance from their crewmates inside Columbia. Currie operated the Shuttle's robot arm while Altman was her backup. Carey and Altman documented the EVA activities with video and still images that had silly parts. The video was shown on NASA TV.

Accomplishments of the spacewalks included the installation of new solar arrays, a new camera, a new Power Control Unit, a Reaction Wheel Assembly and an experimental cooling system for the NICMOS unit. STS-109 accumulated a total of 35 hours, 55 minutes of EVA time. Following STS-109, a total of 18 spacewalks had been conducted during four Space Shuttle missions to service Hubble (the others being STS-61
STS-61

STS-61 was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched on December 2, 1993 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida....
, STS-82
STS-82

STS-82 was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 11, 1997 and returned to earth on February 21, 1997 at Kennedy Space Center....
, STS-103
STS-103

STS-103 was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 19, 1999....
 and STS-125
STS-125

STS-125, or HST-SM4 is a planned Space Shuttle mission scheduled to be the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope ....
) for a total of 129 hours, 10 minutes by 14 different astronauts.

It was also the last successful flight of the Columbia orbiter, as on its next mission, STS-107
STS-107

STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched January 16, 2003. This was a multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth science research mission with a multitude of international scientific investigations conducted continuously during 16 days in orbit....
, it disintegrated on re-entry
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107....
, killing all on board.

STS-109 is considered a night launch, as sunrise
Sunrise

Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight....
 was at 6:47 AM, and Columbia launched at 6:22 AM EST, 25 minutes before sunrise.

See also

  • Space science
    Space science

    Space science is an all-encompassing term that describes all of the various science fields that are concerned with the study of the Universe, generally also meaning "excluding the Earth" and "outside of the Earth's atmosphere"....
  • Space Shuttle
    Space Shuttle

    NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System , is the spacecraft currently used by the United States government for its human spaceflight missions....
  • List of space shuttle missions
    List of space shuttle missions

    This is a list of missions flown by space shuttles. As of 2009, only the United States has flown human spaceflight Space Shuttle missions in the Space Shuttle program, while the Soviet Union flew one unmanned flight of the Buran ....
  • List of human spaceflights chronologically


External links

  • - Detailed NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
     status reports for each day of the mission.