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CNN Live Sunday

Space Shuttle Columbia Completes Part of Its Mission

Aired March 03, 2002 - 17:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The seven astronauts on board Space Shuttle Columbia are grappling with a lot of issues. Earlier today, the successfully accomplished one of the most important tasks of an 11-day mission. CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And lift off of Space Shuttle Columbia, to broaden our view of the universe through the Hubble space telescope.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forty-six hours after they left the launch pad, the Columbia seven reached their destination, the Hubble space telescope. Astronaut and astronomer John Grunsfeld (ph), the only return visitor to the space telescope on this mission, said it was like seeing an old friend.

His crewmate, Nancy Curry (ph), then set about shaking hands with the observatory. Hubble, meet Columbia. Columbia, Hubble. The rendezvous and grapple with the shuttle's robot arm appeared to go without a hitch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grapple confirmed.

O'BRIEN: Up until the hitch they hoped for, that is.

Curry (ph) then gingerly moved the scope to Columbia's aft payload bay, where she placed it on a giant lazy Susan to make it easier for the hard work that lies ahead.

Grunsfeld (ph) and fellow space walker Rick Lenahan (ph) will be the first out of airlock gate for a five-day consecutive run of space walks around and in Hubble. The crew will install about $170 million worth of gear, replacing solar arrays, installing a new camera, fixing an old one, and removing Hubble's power control unit, leaving it powered down for the first time since launch. If it won't turn back on, Hubble will be nothing more than space junk.

And speaking of that, check out this piece of space debris that tumbled near Columbia as she approached the Hubble. NASA says no avoidance maneuver was required, and engineers are not certain just what it was.

Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.

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