KSC-2009-3015

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers close one of space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay doors around the hardware for the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Partially concealed from view 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. Launch is scheduled for 2:01 p.m. EDT on May 11. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Date: 2009-05-08
Collection: KSC
Archive: NASA Image and Video Library
Type: photograph