On 1 March 2002, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off at 5:22 AM CST (11:22 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was to be Columbia's last successful flight. Due to safety concerns, STS-109 was also to be the final manned service mission (SM3B) to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). (Following the loss of STS-107 on 1 February 2003, it was decided that Shuttles would only fly to ISS) The Crew accomplished capture of HST on 3 March at 3:31 AM CST (9:31 GMT).

No less than five EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk), in five consecutive days, were carried out to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. That's as heavy a schedule of EVAs as you'll ever see. The EVAs were mounted by two teams of Astronauts: John Grunsfeld - Richard Linnehan and James Newman - Michael Massimino. Astronaut Nancy Currie operated the Canadarm in support.

A number of new Hubble components were on the STS-109 Cargo manifest, for installation on the HST. The major work done on Hubble included installation of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). This phone booth sized unit will, amongst other things, take part in the search for extra-solar planets. Hubble's two solar arrays were replaced, improving the telescope's ability to power itself. The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) received a new cryocooler, capable of maintaining temperatures as low as -334°F (-203°C). A new Power Control Unit (PCU) was installed as an upgrade to the electrical system. Finally, a fourth Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) was added to the previous array of three, to increase the telescope's stability during long photographic exposures.

The Hubble Space Telescope was released back to orbit on 9 March at 4:04 AM CST (10:04 GMT). The mission had gone exactly as planned, and there were no glitches with the work on Hubble. Columbia flew solo for her last two days on orbit. A safe landing was accomplished on 12 March at 3:32 AM CST (9:32 GMT). STS-109 touched down at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on Runway 33. Total flight duration: 10 days 22 hours 11 minutes.

This event comes to us courtesy of my good friend and colleague, Dr. Oren Swearingen DDS, a native of the great State of Texas. In March 2002, when STS-109 flew, Dr. Swearingen did his very best to "fill in the gaps" for me. My local cable operator in Sacramento California only provided coverage of Shuttle flights on NASA Select TV between the hours of 10 PM and 7 AM PST. That particular channel (Sacramento Education Consortium Channel 72) aired college courses the rest of the day.

Thank You Dr. Swearingen!

This incident, a most intrigueing one, was recorded by the Doctor at a time when I was "out in the cold". It happened when things were quiet aboard Columbia, and the crew were sleeping. Hubble had already been released back to its orbit, and the mission was winding down to the last leg.

One of the color payload bay cameras was in use, with a "live" downlink to Earth. Suddenly, an object descended from top screen, left of the vertical tail, and made an EXTREME RIGHT-ANGLE TURN, exiting out the top of the screen once more! This is as amazing as the left turn sequence which I call "The Big One Pt. 2". Both of these events should be compared side by side for a fascinating experience. More recently, an object displaying this same sharp turn behavior came from "STS-114 The 90° Turn".

The debunkers will likely say that this is merely a bit of ice or debris which was deflected by a firing of the automated Reaction Control System (RCS). These small rockets are known to cause errant ice chips and small pieces of debris to be blown about. However, they also make a brightly visible flash, both day and night. In this case, we can actually see the tail area of Columbia where those jets are housed, and there is no firing of the RCS during the time the anomaly is visible. There IS a thruster firing some SEVEN SECONDS AFTER the object had come and gone. There is no way that thruster could have influenced the anomaly after the fact. We have an animated GIF of that RCS firing for your examination below.

To see for yourself what one of these is like at night, see STS-105 An Example of A Thruster Firing. So, if an RCS thruster firing had been responsible for the right angle turn exhibited by this object, we would have surely seen it! Instead, the RCS jet fired much too late to have had a role.

The behavior of this anomaly is mind boggling, as there is nothing man-made in space capable of a maneuver like this object makes. So let us have a good long look, and you can make up your own mind as to what is going on.

We have here a good clear view of the payload bay looking aft. The object is pointed out by the yellow arrow. It's course marked in red.

Major Shuttle hardware is identified for you, and deep space is in the black background.

This is an automatic firing of the RCS thruster, seven seconds after the anomaly had left the scene.

It is absolutely impossible that it had anything to do with the behavior of the object in question. It was just too late.

Unlike the turn event in "The Big One", this object is very hard to miss. It's bright and clear. There's no mistaking it. In addition, the object in this incident was strobeing or blinking. The "Left Turn" object seen during the EVA, was a very steady light.

The debunkers will automatically say that it's simple ice or debris. IF that is so, WHERE did it come from? It was moving TOWARD Columbia. Anything like ice or debris, originating from the Shuttle itself would necessarily be moving AWAY, not toward it. That is, heh heh, unless NASA is equipping ice flakes and bits of debris with maneuvering engines nowadays.

There is absolutely NO question of this object being astronomical in nature. The Moon, stars, and planets never do things like this. Because this object makes a maneuver impossible for anything conventional in space, and an RCS thruster firing is not evident until far too late to be a factor, I classify this object as an unknown.

Had our friend Dr. Oren Swearingen DDS not been extraordinarily observant that day, none of us would ever have had a chance to see this event. Once again...

THANK YOU DR. SWEARINGEN!

***

At all times during this event, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control.

(INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)

At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.

© 2005 Jeff Challender