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Rebirth of an icon: Hubble's first images since Servicing Mission 4
September 10, 2009Astronomers today declared the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope a fully rejuvenated observatory ready for a new decade of exploration, with the release of observations from four of its six operating science instruments.
"This is one more important step in the confirmation of this wonderful mission. We Europeans are proud to be part of this and heartily congratulate the engineers, astronauts and scientists who got us to this point," said ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood.
Topping the list of exciting new views are colourful multi-wavelength pictures of far-flung galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie "pillar of creation" and a butterfly-shaped nebula. Hubble's suite of new instruments now allows it to study the Universe's across a wide swath of the light spectrum, from ultraviolet light all the way to near-infrared light. In addition, scientists released spectroscopic observations that slice across billions of light-years to map the structure of the cosmic web that permeates the Universe and also the distribution of the chemical elements that are fundamental to life as we know it.
"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and is now significantly more powerful than ever - well equipped to last well into the next decade."
The new instruments are more sensitive to light and therefore will significantly improve Hubble's observing efficiency. The space telescope is now able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with earlier generations of Hubble instruments. Therefore the space observatory today is significantly more powerful than it has ever been.
"We couldn't be more thrilled with the quality of the images from the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and the spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The targets we've selected to showcase Hubble's capabilities reveal the great range of capabilities in our newly upgraded Hubble," said Keith Noll, leader of the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA, that planned the early release observations.
These results are compelling evidence of the success of the STS-125 Servicing Mission in May, which has brought the premier space observatory to the peak of its scientific performance. Two new instruments, the WFC3 and COS, were installed, and two others, the ACS and STIS, were repaired at the circuit board level. Mission scientists also announced today that the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) was brought back into operation during the three months of calibration and testing.
"On this mission we wanted to replenish the 'toolkit' of Hubble instruments that scientists around the world rely on to carry out their cutting-edge research," said David Leckrone, Senior Hubble Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, USA. "Prior to Servicing Mission 4 we had only three unique instrument channels still working, and today we have a total of 13. I'm very proud to be able to say, 'mission accomplished'."
For the past three months scientists and engineers at STScI and the Goddard Space Flight Center have been focusing, testing and calibrating the instruments. Hubble is one of the most complex space telescopes ever launched, and the Hubble Servicing Mission astronauts performed major surgery on the 19-year-old observatory's multiple systems. This orbital verification phase was interrupted briefly on 19 July to observe Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision with a suspected comet.
Hubble now enters a phase of full science observations. The demand for observing time will be intense. Astronomers look forward to using the telescope to conduct a broad range of observations: from studying the population of Kuiper Belt objects at the fringe of our Solar System, to observing the birth of planets around other stars, to probing the composition and structure of extrasolar planetary atmospheres. There are ambitious plans to take the deepest-ever near-infrared portrait of the Universe to reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the Universe was less than 500 million years old. Other planned observations will attempt to shed light on the behaviour of dark energy, a repulsive force that is pushing the Universe apart at an ever-faster rate.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0910a.html
Hubble Information Centre
"This marks a new beginning for Hubble," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "The telescope was given an extreme makeover and is now significantly more powerful than ever - well equipped to last well into the next decade."
The new instruments are more sensitive to light and therefore will significantly improve Hubble's observing efficiency. The space telescope is now able to complete observations in a fraction of the time that was needed with earlier generations of Hubble instruments. Therefore the space observatory today is significantly more powerful than it has ever been.
"We couldn't be more thrilled with the quality of the images from the new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the repaired Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), and the spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The targets we've selected to showcase Hubble's capabilities reveal the great range of capabilities in our newly upgraded Hubble," said Keith Noll, leader of the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA, that planned the early release observations.
These results are compelling evidence of the success of the STS-125 Servicing Mission in May, which has brought the premier space observatory to the peak of its scientific performance. Two new instruments, the WFC3 and COS, were installed, and two others, the ACS and STIS, were repaired at the circuit board level. Mission scientists also announced today that the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) was brought back into operation during the three months of calibration and testing.
"On this mission we wanted to replenish the 'toolkit' of Hubble instruments that scientists around the world rely on to carry out their cutting-edge research," said David Leckrone, Senior Hubble Project Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, USA. "Prior to Servicing Mission 4 we had only three unique instrument channels still working, and today we have a total of 13. I'm very proud to be able to say, 'mission accomplished'."
For the past three months scientists and engineers at STScI and the Goddard Space Flight Center have been focusing, testing and calibrating the instruments. Hubble is one of the most complex space telescopes ever launched, and the Hubble Servicing Mission astronauts performed major surgery on the 19-year-old observatory's multiple systems. This orbital verification phase was interrupted briefly on 19 July to observe Jupiter in the aftermath of a collision with a suspected comet.
Hubble now enters a phase of full science observations. The demand for observing time will be intense. Astronomers look forward to using the telescope to conduct a broad range of observations: from studying the population of Kuiper Belt objects at the fringe of our Solar System, to observing the birth of planets around other stars, to probing the composition and structure of extrasolar planetary atmospheres. There are ambitious plans to take the deepest-ever near-infrared portrait of the Universe to reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the Universe was less than 500 million years old. Other planned observations will attempt to shed light on the behaviour of dark energy, a repulsive force that is pushing the Universe apart at an ever-faster rate.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0910a.html
Hubble Information Centre
Hubble Space Telescope Current Events and Hubble Space Telescope News RSSGoddard 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.
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.
Astronomers discover stars in early galaxies had a need for speed
A team of astronomers has measured the motions of stars in a very distant galaxy for the first time and discovered they are whizzing around at astonishingly high speeds-about one million miles per hour, or twice the speed at which the Sun circles our own Milky Way galaxy.
Dark Energy From the Ground Up: Make Way for BigBOSS
Several ways have been proposed to examine dark energy, in hopes of finding out just what it is. One of them, "supernovae" for short, certainly works: it's how dark energy was discovered in the first place. Other independent techniques, such as weak gravitational lensing and baryon acoustic oscillation, also promise great power but are as yet unproven.
Hubble captures rare Jupiter collision
The checkout and calibration of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been interrupted to aim the recently refurbished observatory at a new expanding spot on the giant planet Jupiter.
NASA celebrates Chandra X-Ray Observatory's 10th anniversary
Ten years ago, on July 23, 1999, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia and deployed into orbit.
Jupiter pummeled, leaving bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean
Something slammed into Jupiter in the last few days, creating a dark bruise about the size of the Pacific Ocean.
Herschel Space Telescope's SPIRE instrument package makes first-light observations
A scientific instrument package developed in part by the University of Colorado at Boulder for the $2.2 billion orbiting Herschel Space Observatory that was launched in May by the European Space Agency has made its first successful observations, targeting two star-forming galaxies near the Milky Way.
More Hubble Space Telescope Current Events and Hubble Space Telescope News Articles
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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... |
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#S Hubble space telescope Furuta Choco Egg Astronaut/NASA Series Miniature Model by Furuta Japan One brand new Furuta Choco Egg Series Astronaut Vol. 1 No. S Hubble space telescope - this is the rare secret item for this series. This miniature model is fully painted with excellent details. Please note that this miniature plastic model requires some simple assembly and it contains small parts which are not suitable for small children (choking hazard!). Also, this item will be shipped with its original capsule in unassembled condition with its corresponding instruction sheet. Outer box and chocolate will not be included. |
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The Visible Universe: A Visual Journey Through Space and Back in Time. NASA - Hubble Space Telescope Starring: Super Nova Directed By: David DeMarcos Also With: David DeMarcos (Producer) NTSC North American Format Updated 2009 - Includes:
The Visible Universe presents a visual journey through space and back in time using the greatest optical instruments ever created in the history of man. The Hubble Space Telescope, SOHO, Trace, Spitzer, and other instruments have afforded us an insight to the farthest reaches of the Cosmos. Carl Sagan The producer hopes that this progressive music video will entertain and inspire our children to further... |
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Hubble Space Telescope 2010 Standard Wall Calendar 12 X 12 by 2010 Wyman Publishing Hubble Space Telescope Wall Calendar: This calendar is filled with stunning images of the universe that surrounds us, captured by the marvelous Hubble Telescope. This is a visual treat and is perfect for those studying space, novice or advanced, and all those who simply appreciate the beauty of the heavens above us. Each month includes a small descriptor of the image featured. |
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The Universe in a Mirror: The Saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Visionaries Who Built It by Robert Zimmerman (Author) The Hubble Space Telescope has produced the most stunning images of the cosmos humanity has ever seen. It has transformed our understanding of the universe around us, revealing new information about its age and evolution, the life cycle of stars, and the very existence of black holes, among other startling discoveries. The Universe in a Mirror tells the story of this telescope and the visionaries responsible for its extraordinary accomplishments. Robert Zimmerman takes readers behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever sent into space. After World War II, astronomer Lyman Spitzer and a handful of scientists waged a fifty-year struggle to build the first space telescope capable of seeing beyond Earth's atmospheric veil. Zimmerman shows how many of... |
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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) |
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The Hubble Space Telescope - Poster (Size: 24" x 36") by Posterstoponline |
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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. |
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Hubble Space Telescope Model Kit by Space Craft Internation The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Craft Science Kit is very realistic... so much so that it is hard to tell from a distance that it's made of paper. Many of its parts have bonded metal foil, and look like they're made of metal. Blue and gold-foil solar panels. Internal details include reflective primary and secondary mirrors, printed trusses and baffles. Includes information on how to modify the completed laser-cut, paper card stock model to illustrate installing new instruments as astronauts did first in December, 1993, and again on later upgrade missions. Assembled model is about 10 inches (26 cm) overall. Scale is approximately 1/65. |
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