SPACEPHOTOS

(02/01/2002) -- As part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, the STS-109 crew practices emergency exit from the Shuttle. Seated in the slidewire basket at the 195-foot level of the Fixed Service Structure are Mission Specialists Nancy Currie (left) and John Grunsfeld (reaching for the release lever). The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown. STS-109 is a Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, with goals to replace Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replace the Power Control Unit, remove the Faint Object Camera and install the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), install the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and install New Outer Blanket Layer insulation. The 11-day mission will require five spacewalks to perform the tasks. Launch of STS-109 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2002