The shuttle Columbia lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at 6:22 a.m. EST on March 1, 2002. STS-109 is considered a night launch, as sunrise was at 6:47 am, and Columbia launched at 6:22 am, 25 minutes before sunrise.The primary mission was to capture and service the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-109 was the 4th mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. A record tying five spacewalks were scheduled for this mission.
It was Columbia’s first flight following an extensive two and a half year modification period. Additionally, it was the last successful flight of the Columbia orbiter, as on its next mission, STS-107, it disintegrated on re-entry, killing all on board.
The images on this page were taken from digital video shot with a Panasonic MiniDV Palmcorder (DV-701D).
