STS-109

STS-109
The Hubble Space Telescope in Columbia's payload bay towards the end of the mission
NamesSpace Transportation System-109
Mission typeHubble servicing
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2002-010A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.27388
Mission duration10 days, 22 hours, 11 minutes, 09 seconds
Distance travelled6,300,000 kilometres (3,900,000 mi)
Orbits completed165
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Columbia
Launch mass116,989 kg (257,917 lb)
Landing mass100,564 kg (221,706 lb)
Crew
Crew size7
Members
Start of mission
Launch date1 March 2002 11:22:02 (2002-03-01UTC11:22:02Z) UTC
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date12 March 2002 09:33:10 (2002-03-12UTC09:33:11Z) UTC
Landing siteKennedy, SLF Runway 33
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude486 km (302 mi)
Apogee altitude578 km (359 mi)
Inclination28.5 degrees
Period95.3 minutes

(L-R): Michael J. Massimino, Richard M. Linnehan, Duane G. Carey, Scott D. Altman, Nancy J. Currie, John M. Grunsfeld and James H. Newman.
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STS-110 →

STS-109 (SM3B) was a Space Shuttle mission that launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 1 March 2002. It was the 108th mission of the Space Shuttle program,[1] the 27th flight of the orbiter Columbia[1] and the fourth servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope.[2] It was also the last successful mission of the orbiter Columbia before the ill-fated STS-107 mission, which culminated in the Columbia disaster.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was placed in orbit during mission STS-31 on 25 April 1990.[3] Initially designed to operate for 15 years, plans for periodic service and refurbishment were incorporated into its mission from the start.[4] After the successful completion of the second planned service mission (SM2) by the crew of STS-82 in February 1997, three of the telescope's six gyroscopes failed. NASA decided to split the third planned service mission into two parts, SM3A and SM3B.[5] A fifth and final servicing mission, STS-125 (SM4) launched on 11 May 2009.[6] The work performed during SM4 kept HST in operation through 2021.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Mission STS-109". NASA. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  2. ^ "The Hubble Space Telescope: SM3B". NASA. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  3. ^ "The Hubble Space Telescope: Deployment". NASA. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Servicing History and Long-Term Plans" (PDF). NASA. June 1993. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  5. ^ "The Hubble Space Telescope: SM3A". NASA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  6. ^ "STS-125: Final Shuttle Mission to Hubble Space Telescope". NASA. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  7. ^ "The Hubble Space Telescope: SM4". NASA. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2009.