Hubble from a Distance

Looking westward, one of the STS-109 crew members photographed the newly serviced and upgraded Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as it neared the earth's limb in March 2002. The Space Shuttle Columbia was located over the Atlantic Ocean southwest of the Cape Verde Islands when this image was taken. Low to mid-altitude clouds are visible across the picture. Some thunderstorms can be seen near the left center of the frame as the Sun reflects off the higher cloud tops.