STS-109

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  27388 / 02010A Launch date - time  01 Mar 2002 - 11:22:02 UT Launch site  KSC, LC39A Launch vehicle  Space Shuttle Orbiter  Columbia #27 (OV-102) Mass (kg)   Flight Crew  Altman, Carey, Grunsfeld, Currie Linnehan, Newman, Massimino Call Sign   Backup crew   Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  570 km    - Inclination  28.5°    - Period   min Landing date - time  12 Mar 2002 - 09:33:05 UT Landing location  KSC, Runway 33 Flight Duration  10d 22h 10m Nbr orbits  165

Crew

Summary:

Description:

• Shuttle launch STS-109, is the Hubble Servicing Mission 3B. Orbiter OV-102 Columbia will fly to rendezvous with HST, grapple it with the RMS and berth it on the FSS pallet in Columbia′s payload bay. In the course of five spacewalks, the crew will install new equipment on HST. This is the first flight of Columbia since the launch of Chandra in 1999; it's been in the garage undergoing refurbishment.
• In the first two spacewalks, two new solar arrays will be installed, and the two old arrays will be stowed on the RAC carrier. The RWA-1R reaction wheel assembly on the MULE carrier will replace the faltering RWA-1 in the telescope. The third spacewalk is the most difficult, as HST will be entirely powered down while astronauts replace its power controller unit, not designed for on-orbit replacement. They′ll have to cover some key equipment with thermal blankets before the shutdown. The fourth spacewalk will see the astronauts remove the European FOC camera, aboard HST since launch in 1990, and replace it with the new ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys). They will also install the CASH wire harness, part of the aft shroud cooling system. On the final spacewalk, the astronauts will install the NCS (NICMOS cooling system) cryocooler in the aft shround and the associated NCS radiator on the telescope′s exterior. The NICMOS infrared camera has been idle since its original thermal control system failed, and it′s hoped that NCS will allow it to resume science. On the next servicing mission, an extra cooling system, the ASCS, will be connected to ACS and STIS.
• Cargo bay estimate:

                                                              Mass/kg
  
  (middeck) 4 EMU spacesuits                                    480?
  Bay 4     RAC (Rigid Array Carrier)                          2393
  Bay 7-8   SAC (Second Axial Carrier)                         2517
  Bay 11    FSS (Fixed Servicing Structure)                    2111
  Bay 12    MULE (Multi Use Light Eqpt Carrier)                1409
  Sill      RMS arm No 201                                      410
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total                                                        9320?
  

• The RAC carries the two folded SA-III rigid solar arrays which will replace the SA-II roll-up arrays. It calso carries the DBA2 diode box assembly which controls the arrays, and a wire harness and containers associated with the NICMOS cooling system. The RAC is a Spacelab pallet, and it's possible that it is the same pallet that flew as ORUC on the three earlier servicing missions.
  

  Viewed from the Aft Flight Deck of Columbia with the back drop of Earth and the blackness of space, the Payload Bay is holding the RAC (Rigid Array Carrier) with Hubble's new Solar Array's. Credit: NASA

  Richard Linnehan, photographed by EVA partner John Grunsfeld installs SA3 (Solar Array) - the third-generation solar panels on the Hubble Space Telescope during EVA 1. (of 5 conducted over four days)

  
  
• The SAC is a specially designed pallet that flew on the first two Hubble SM flights: STS-61 and STS-82. On this flight it carries the ACS camera up (and the FOS camera down) as well as the NCS cryocooler, the PCU-R power controller, the CASH wire harness, and the thermal covers used in the PCU replacement.
• The FSS first flew on STS 41-C (the Solar Max Repair) and was reused for each of the HST SM flights. It carries the BAPS Berthing and Positioning System, which is the docking ring for HST. Stowed on the FSS are a support post for BAPS and a cover for the HST low gain antenna.
• The MULE carries the NCS radiator, the NCS electronics support module, and the RWA-1R reaction wheel unit. MULE first flew on STS-48 carrying the UARS satellite, and then on STS-95 carrying the HOST payload which tested out the NCS.
• With the removal of FOC, the COSTAR device (which deployed contact lenses for the original instruments) is obsolete, since the newer instruments make the corrections to the incorrect HST mirror internally. A final servicing mission will replace WFPC-2 and COSTAR with the WFC-3 and COS instruments.
• List of HST instruments in each of the five instrument bays:

   Radial instrument: WFPC   (1990-1993)     Optical imaging
                      WFPC-2 (1993-2004?)    Optical imaging
                      WFC-3  (2004?)         Optical imaging (planned)
   Axial +V3/+V2:     FOC    (1990-2002)     UV imaging
                      ACS    (2002?-)        Optical/UV imaging
   Axial +V2/-V3      HSP    (1990-1993)     Photometer
                      COSTAR (1993-2004?)    Corrective optics for 
                                              FOC, GHRS, FOS
                      COS    (2004?)         Spectrograph (planned)
   Axial -V3/-V2      GHRS   (1990-1997)     High res spectrograph
                      STIS   (1997-)         Spectrograph
   Axial -V2/+V3      FOS    (1990-1997)     Low res spectrograph
                      NICMOS (1997-)         IR imaging
  

Mission details:

• STS-109 was launched at 1122:02 UTC on Mar 1, 2002. Main engine cutoff came at 1130 UTC with Columbia in a 55 x 574 km x 28.5 deg transfer orbit. The OMS-2 burn at about 1207 UTC raised perigee to about 195 km. There was a problem with a freon cooling loop on the Orbiter, but it wasn't quite bad enough to affect the mission.
• The Hubble Space Telescope closed its aperture door on Mar 2 in preparation for the rendezvous. Columbia got within 100m of HST by 0852 UTC on Mar 3 and grappled it with the RMS at 0931 UTC. HST was berthed on the FSS in Columbia's payload bay by 1032 UTC.
• The astronauts carried out five spacewalks to refurbish HST. On EVA-1 the airlock was depressurized at 0630 on Mar 4 and repressurized at 1338 UTC. Grunsfeld and Linnehan replaced the -V2 solar array with the new rigid array stored in the RAC carrier, and replaced a solar array diode box.
• On EVA-2, depress was at 0634 on Mar 5 and repress was at 1356 UTC; Newman and Massimino replaced the +V2 solar array and diode box, and replaced the RWA-1 reaction wheel assembly.
• On EVA-3, depress was at 0825 UTC on Mar 6 and repress at 1516 UTC; the HST was powered entirely down and Grunsfeld and Linnehan changed out the power control unit.
• On EVA-4, by Newman and Massimino, depress was at 0856 UTC on Mar 7 and repress was at 1630 UTC. The Faint Object Camera was removed and the Advanced Camera for Surveys was installed. The CASH (Cross Aft Shroud Harness) wire harness for the cooling system was installed.
• EVA-5 ran from 0841 to 1606 UTC on Mar 8, and saw installation of the NICMOS cooling system (NCS) by Grunsfled and Linnehan. During preparations for EVA-3, a problem with a valve on Grunsfeld′s suit caused it to leak water, and Grunsfeld switched to Newman's suit. For each of EVA-3,4,5 the appropriate size legs and arms were replaced on the same basic HUT (Hard Upper Torso)/PLSS (Primary Life Support System) combination.
• HST was deployed from Columbia at 1004 UTC on Mar 9 into a 578 x 584 km x 28.5 deg orbit. Columbia landed on Mar 12 at KSC; deorbit was at 0822 UTC with landing on runway 33 at 0931 UTC.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.

Landing cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.