WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The Hubble Space Telescope (partially obscured), photographed from one of the Space Shuttle Columbia’s windows, begins its separation from the orbiter as it is released from the remote manipulator system (RMS) robotic arm. The STS-109 crew deployed the giant telescope at 4:04 a.m. CST (1004 GMT), March 9, 2002. Afterward, the seven crewmembers began to focus their attention to the trip home, scheduled for March 12. The STS-109 astronauts conducted five space walks to service and upgrade Hubble.