Scott D. Altman Duane G. Carey John M. Grunsfeld Nancy J. Currie James H. Newman Richard M. Linnehan Michael J. Massimino
Launch:
March 1, 2002
Landing:
March 12, 2002
Duration:
10 days, 22 hours
Comment:
STS-109 was the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and the last successful flight of shuttle Columbia.
This Hubble Space Telescope Diode Box Assembly (DBA) thermal cover was one of two flown on STS-109. Made of perforated Kapton blanket material mounted to a aluminum alloy backing plate with Delrin retaining clips, this 35 by 6 by .25-inch cover was stowed on the Second Axial Carrier in the payload bay for launch and landing. During the third spacewalk, astronaut John Grunsfeld retrieved one of the covers and installed it on DBA2 before proceeding with the changeout of the Power Control Unit (PCU), the "heart" of the Hubble Space Telescope. The thermal cover protected the DBA from damage during the PCU replacement.
