Posted: Sun, Mar 3, 2002, 9:02 AM ET (1402 GMT)
The space shuttle Columbia grappled the Hubble Space Telescope early Sunday and locked it in place in the shuttle's cargo bay, setting the stage for five spacewalks this week to repair the orbiting observatory. Columbia's robot arm grabbed the telescope at 4:31 am EST (0931 GMT) Sunday and maneuvered it into a rotating cradle in the shuttle's cargo bay, where it will be berthed during the repairs this week. The first EVA is scheduled to begin at 1:27 am EST (0627 GMT) Monday, when astronauts John Grunsfeld and Rick Linnehan will replace one of Hubble's solar panels with a new version that is smaller but generates more power. The other solar panel will be replaced on the second EVA early Tuesday.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  spaceflight.nasa.gov mission information
•  Spaceflight Now mission status center