WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Wearing a training version of Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), astronaut Thomas D. Akers uses the giant pool of the Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Weightless Environment Training Facility (WET-F) to rehearse for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) repair mission. Standing on a mobile foot restraint connected to the Shuttle's robot arm, Akers works with a full-scale training version of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WF/PC). The current WF/PC on the HST will be replaced with WF/PC-2. The giant box is a stowage area for both WF/PC facilities. Out of frame is astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton, who will join Akers in STS-61 EVA. Several SCUBA-equipped divers assist in the rehearsal. A total of five extravehicular activity (EVA) sessions will be conducted during the scheduled December mission of the Endeavour.