WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Space Shuttle Discovery stands in a vertical position in the Vehicle Assembly Building while it is connected to the solid rocket boosters and external tank that will be used to launch mission STS-103 in early December. This 10-day mission is designed to replace aging parts on the nine-year-old Hubble Space Telescope and to upgrade some of its functioning systems. During the flight, the astronaut crew will replace all six of the observatory's gyroscopes, a fine guidance sensor, its main computer, and other equipment.