 |
|
NASA announces details of Hubble servicing mission
January 09, 2008AUSTIN, Texas - NASA scientists and a space shuttle astronaut today outlined details of a challenging mission that will repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope in 2008.
The Hubble servicing mission, designated STS-125, will equip the orbiting observatory with far greater capabilities than ever had before to explore the nature and history of our universe.
Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off in August with a crew of seven astronauts and a cargo of equipment, tools and new instruments on the fifth and final mission to service the venerable telescope, which orbits 350 miles above the Earth. The shuttle also will carry an IMAX camera to record the historic mission for a film scheduled for release in 2010.
At the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Alan Stern, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington, said, "Hubble is, without exaggeration, a national treasure, and all of NASA is looking forward to seeing it receive this tune up and upgrade. I think Americans are going to be excited when they see the results of this exciting shuttle mission flower into new discoveries about the solar system and the larger universe we live in. And let's face it; it doesn't get much more exciting than sending a team of astronauts and sophisticated high-tech instruments to make the Hubble better than it ever was before."
The 11-day shuttle mission features five spacewalks. During those spacewalks, astronauts will install two powerful new science instruments, a new set of the gyroscopes that help stabilize the telescope, and batteries and thermal blankets to extend Hubble's operational life until at least 2013. Also, if all goes well, a degrading Fine Guidance Sensor unit, one of three aboard Hubble, will be replaced with a refurbished unit to help maintain the telescope's ability to point and focus on astronomical objects throughout the universe.
"As both an astronaut and an astronomer, the opportunity to go back to Hubble is more than a dream come true," said John Grunsfeld, who will be the mission's lead spacewalker. "This mission promises to be quite challenging. NASA has put together the most experienced Hubble crew ever, with three Hubble veterans. The crew and mission team are in full throttle training, looking forward to launch and the hard work of servicing Hubble."
Astronauts will attempt the first ever on-orbit repair of two existing instruments - the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The ACS was the most-used instrument on the telescope until its failure last January after five years of operations. The STIS - the most sophisticated spectrograph ever on Hubble - took detailed pictures of celestial objects and separated light into its components to diagnose the physical conditions of galaxies, stars, planets and nebulae.
The new instruments to be installed on the telescope are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3. Among its many goals, COS will probe the "cosmic web." This large-scale structure of the universe has its form determined by the gravity of dark matter and can be traced by galaxies and intergalactic gas. COS also will explore how this web has evolved over billions of years and the role it plays in the formation and evolution of galaxies. The WFC3 will be Hubble's first "panchromatic" camera, providing wide field-of-view and remarkably sharp images over a wide range of colors to supplement other imaging capabilities aboard the Hubble.
"Our goal for this mission is to leave Hubble at the apex of its scientific capabilities," said David Leckrone, Hubble senior project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "Our two new instruments, plus the hoped-for repairs of STIS and ACS, will give astronomers a full 'tool box' with which to attack some really profound problems, ranging from the nature of dark matter and dark energy, to the chemical composition of the atmospheres of planets around other stars."
Scientists are confident that some of Hubble's greatest discoveries are yet to come.
"With the new capabilities we expect to have after this shuttle servicing mission, I fully expect Hubble's most impressive accomplishments to lie in its future, eclipsing even its well-known past successes," Stern said.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
At the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Alan Stern, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington, said, "Hubble is, without exaggeration, a national treasure, and all of NASA is looking forward to seeing it receive this tune up and upgrade. I think Americans are going to be excited when they see the results of this exciting shuttle mission flower into new discoveries about the solar system and the larger universe we live in. And let's face it; it doesn't get much more exciting than sending a team of astronauts and sophisticated high-tech instruments to make the Hubble better than it ever was before."
The 11-day shuttle mission features five spacewalks. During those spacewalks, astronauts will install two powerful new science instruments, a new set of the gyroscopes that help stabilize the telescope, and batteries and thermal blankets to extend Hubble's operational life until at least 2013. Also, if all goes well, a degrading Fine Guidance Sensor unit, one of three aboard Hubble, will be replaced with a refurbished unit to help maintain the telescope's ability to point and focus on astronomical objects throughout the universe.
"As both an astronaut and an astronomer, the opportunity to go back to Hubble is more than a dream come true," said John Grunsfeld, who will be the mission's lead spacewalker. "This mission promises to be quite challenging. NASA has put together the most experienced Hubble crew ever, with three Hubble veterans. The crew and mission team are in full throttle training, looking forward to launch and the hard work of servicing Hubble."
Astronauts will attempt the first ever on-orbit repair of two existing instruments - the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The ACS was the most-used instrument on the telescope until its failure last January after five years of operations. The STIS - the most sophisticated spectrograph ever on Hubble - took detailed pictures of celestial objects and separated light into its components to diagnose the physical conditions of galaxies, stars, planets and nebulae.
The new instruments to be installed on the telescope are the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, and the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3. Among its many goals, COS will probe the "cosmic web." This large-scale structure of the universe has its form determined by the gravity of dark matter and can be traced by galaxies and intergalactic gas. COS also will explore how this web has evolved over billions of years and the role it plays in the formation and evolution of galaxies. The WFC3 will be Hubble's first "panchromatic" camera, providing wide field-of-view and remarkably sharp images over a wide range of colors to supplement other imaging capabilities aboard the Hubble.
"Our goal for this mission is to leave Hubble at the apex of its scientific capabilities," said David Leckrone, Hubble senior project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "Our two new instruments, plus the hoped-for repairs of STIS and ACS, will give astronomers a full 'tool box' with which to attack some really profound problems, ranging from the nature of dark matter and dark energy, to the chemical composition of the atmospheres of planets around other stars."
Scientists are confident that some of Hubble's greatest discoveries are yet to come.
"With the new capabilities we expect to have after this shuttle servicing mission, I fully expect Hubble's most impressive accomplishments to lie in its future, eclipsing even its well-known past successes," Stern said.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Space Telescope Current Events and Space Telescope News RSSWatching a Cannibal Galaxy Dine
A new technique using near-infrared images, obtained with ESO's 3.58-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT), allows astronomers to see through the opaque dust lanes of the giant cannibal galaxy Centaurus A, unveiling its "last meal" in unprecedented detail - a smaller spiral galaxy, currently twisted and warped.
Goddard team develops new carriers for space station
In a partnership that exemplifies One NASA, engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. teamed up with engineers at NASA's Johnson and Kennedy Space Centers to design, build, and test five new ExPRESS Logistics Carriers, or ELCs, which will be delivered to the International Space Station.
'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies
Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by its characteristic hydrogen signature at 787 million years post Big Bang.
NASA's Fermi Telescope Detects Gamma-Ray From
Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
Fermi telescope caps its first year with a glimpse of space-time
During its first year of operations, NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope mapped the extreme sky with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity.
Gamma-ray photon race ends in dead heat; Einstein wins this round
Racing across the universe for the last 7.3 billion years, two gamma-ray photons arrived at NASA's orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope within nine-tenths of a second of one another.
Opening up a colorful cosmic jewel box
Star clusters are among the most visually alluring and astrophysically fascinating objects in the sky. One of the most spectacular nestles deep in the southern skies near the Southern Cross in the constellation of Crux.
Scientists use world's fastest supercomputer to model origins of the unseen universe
Understanding dark energy is the number one issue in explaining the universe, according to Salman Habib, of the Laboratory's Nuclear and Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology group.
Galaxy cluster smashes distance record
The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been discovered by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical and infrared telescopes.
Simulation suggests rocky exoplanet has bizarre atmosphere
So accustomed are we to the sunshine, rain, fog and snow of our home planet that we find it next to impossible to imagine a different atmosphere and other forms of precipitation.
More Space Telescope Current Events and Space Telescope News Articles
 |
Uncle Milton 3-in-1 Space Explorer Telescope by Uncle Milton Explore the universe with this 3-in-1 telescope. This amazing tool takes little scientists on a space journey through 10 real NASA space images, and teaches them all about what they're seeing through synchronized audio narration. Each image is accompanied by?two?to?three?fascinating factoids. Measures approximately 24" long. Requires 3 "AAA" batteries (not included). |
 |
Hubble: Imaging Space and Time by David Devorkin (Author), Robert Smith (Author) In the spirit of National Geographic’s top-selling Orbit, this large-format, full-color volume stands alone in revealing more than 200 of the most spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope during its lifetime, to the very eve of the 2008 final shuttle mission to the telescope. Written by two of the world’s foremost authorities on space history, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time illuminates the solar system’s workings, the expansion of the universe, the birth and death of stars, the formation of planetary nebulae, the dynamics of galaxies, and the mysterious force known as "dark energy." The potential impact of this book cannot be overstressed: The 2008 servicing mission to install new high-powered scientific instruments is especially high profile because the... |
 |
The Hubble Space Telescope - Poster (Size: 24" x 36") by Posterstoponline |
 |
Launched 2009 - High Octane 37 Million Horse Power NASA Space Shuttle Adrenaline Rush . Starring: Extreme Machines Also With: David DeMarcos (Producer) Launched is a high octane 37 million horse power adrenaline rush filled with speed and extreme power. Roughly 50 minutes of mission launches, pre-launches, and landings. Each section of this music video is ideally complimented with either Manson style Heavy Metal or easy listening Rock music. Take a ride and feel the thunder along with the Space Shuttle Crews as they are strapped to the most complicated and powerful machines ever created. Marvell at the massive complexity required to navigate their way across the skies on a 5.7 million mile journey . Thank you NASA and ESA for many years of awesome science and technology. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
Bushnell Deep Space 525 x 60mm Refractor Telescope by Bushnell Bushnell Deep Space 525mm x 60mm Refractor Telescope 789514 |
 |
Space Views From the Hubble Telescope 2010 Wall Calendar Publisher: Pomegranate by Hubble Telescope 2010 Space from the Hubble Telescope 2010 Wall Calendar : Not since Galileo turned his telescope toward the heavens in 1610 has any event so changed our understanding of the universe as the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. Orbiting 600 kilometers (375 miles) above Earth, Hubble provides stunning views of the universe that cannot be made using ground-based telescopes or other satellites. |
![Hubble Space Telescope: Rescue In Space [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21RTZCV1JSL._SL160_.jpg) |
Hubble Space Telescope: Rescue In Space [VHS] Directed By: Russ Finley Journey into space with the Astronauts on one of the most important and spectacular Space Shuttle Missions ever - the critical mission to repair the Space Telescope. Plus, see the first dramatically improved deep space images from Hubble's newly repaired cameras. 50 minutes. |
 |
The Visible Universe: A Visual Journey Through Space and Back in Time. NASA - Hubble Space Telescope Directed By: David Alexander DeMarcos Also With: Waterline Productions (Producer) |
 |
Deep Space: Featuring Hubble Space Telescope Images (Interactive PC/Mac CD-ROM) by Finley-Holiday Film Corp. Explore the deepest reaches of the universe with this incredible interactive CD. Filled with hundreds of awesome images and amazing facts, this multimedia program lets you explore the last frontier with the very best images from the Hubble Space Telescope. High Resolution, High Quality Color Images: This CD features a complete collection of Hubble images from the Space Telescope Science Institute's, plus 32 superb earth-based astronomical photographs. As an added bonus get the complete story of the Space Telescope's spectacular servicing missions and 16 exciting planet views. |
 |
2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary (1-500) #190 Hubble Space Telescope (Baseball Cards) by Baseball Cards 2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary (1-500) #190 Hubble Space Telescope (Baseball Cards) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |