Atlantis takes seven astronauts to repair Hubble after seven years
Matt Webber
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: News
Space shuttle Atlantis took off from Cape Canaveral Monday on the last mission NASA will be sending to repair the 19 year-old Hubble Telescope.
Seven astronauts blasted off at about 2 p.m. and arrived at the telescope Wednesday.
The crew of seven will be replacing the batteries in the observatory and the gyroscopes that control what the telescope photographs.
The crew will be replacing old cameras with newer, more powerful ones and fixing other damaged scientific equipment.
The mission will cost a total of about $1 billion.
With the new batteries and equipment, NASA hopes to keep Hubble recording data for the next five to 10 years.
No more repairs or adjustments will be made on Hubble after this mission.
The space shuttle Endeavor is now on a launch pad, prepared to lift-off on short notice in case a rescue mission for the Atlantis and her crew needs to be launched.
Due to several delays, including the crash of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003, the Hubble Telescope has not been repaired or updated since 2002.
The Hubble Telescope orbits the earth about 350 miles above the surface.
This is farther away from Earth than space shuttles usually fly, and is farther away than the International Space Station's orbit.
Some of the damage that must be repaired is due to debris in space bumping or scratching the telescope.
A new guidance system that directs what the telescope photographs will be installed into the 19-year Hubble.
The Hubble Telescope has been taking pictures of deep space since its launch in 1990, though a damaged mirror made pictures indecipherable until it was repaired in 1993.
This is the 30th space flight for Atlantis.
Scott Altman, a former navy fighter pilot, is commander of the mission.
He is joined by one shuttle pilot and five specialists who will repair the telescope.
Seven astronauts blasted off at about 2 p.m. and arrived at the telescope Wednesday.
The crew of seven will be replacing the batteries in the observatory and the gyroscopes that control what the telescope photographs.
The crew will be replacing old cameras with newer, more powerful ones and fixing other damaged scientific equipment.
The mission will cost a total of about $1 billion.
With the new batteries and equipment, NASA hopes to keep Hubble recording data for the next five to 10 years.
No more repairs or adjustments will be made on Hubble after this mission.
The space shuttle Endeavor is now on a launch pad, prepared to lift-off on short notice in case a rescue mission for the Atlantis and her crew needs to be launched.
Due to several delays, including the crash of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003, the Hubble Telescope has not been repaired or updated since 2002.
The Hubble Telescope orbits the earth about 350 miles above the surface.
This is farther away from Earth than space shuttles usually fly, and is farther away than the International Space Station's orbit.
Some of the damage that must be repaired is due to debris in space bumping or scratching the telescope.
A new guidance system that directs what the telescope photographs will be installed into the 19-year Hubble.
The Hubble Telescope has been taking pictures of deep space since its launch in 1990, though a damaged mirror made pictures indecipherable until it was repaired in 1993.
This is the 30th space flight for Atlantis.
Scott Altman, a former navy fighter pilot, is commander of the mission.
He is joined by one shuttle pilot and five specialists who will repair the telescope.
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