Mission Specialists John M. Grunsfeld left and James H. Newman signal their confidence and readiness for launch.

AirshowIn the White Room, STS-109 Mission Specialists John M. Grunsfeld (left) and James H. Newman (right) signal their confidence and readiness for launch. At left, kneeling, is closeout crew member Danny Wyatt, NASA quality assurance specialist. Grunsfeld is Payload Commander on the mission, on which Columbia will rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope for the crew to replace and upgrade key telescope systems through five challenging spacewalks. After an extensive 2-1/2 year modification period during which many systems were replaced and enhanced, Columbia is making its 27th flight in the Shuttle program. After the 11-day mission, Columbia is expected to land at Kennedy Space Center March 12.