NASA Hubble Servicing Mission 4: 15th Anniversary Celebration (2009-2024)

NASA Hubble Servicing Mission 4: 15th Anniversary Celebration (2009-2024)

Fifteen years ago, a remarkable mission unfolded above the Earth. The Hubble Space Telescope, humanity's eye on the universe, received an unprecedented upgrade during its fifth and final Servicing Mission.

In May 2009, a brave team of astronauts embarked on a daring journey aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. Their mission? To breathe new life into Hubble, ensuring its legacy of discovery could continue for years to come.

Space Shuttle Atlantis carried two new instruments to the Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3. The mission also replaced a Fine Guidance Sensor, six gyroscopes, and two battery unit modules to allow the telescope to continue to function. The crew also installed new thermal blanket insulating panels to provide improved thermal protection, and a soft-capture mechanism that would aid in the safe de-orbiting of the telescope by a robotic spacecraft at the end of its operational lifespan.

The crew of STS-125 included three astronauts who had previous experience servicing Hubble. Scott Altman visited Hubble in 2002 as commander of STS-109, the fourth Hubble servicing mission. John Grunsfeld, an astronomer, has serviced Hubble twice, performing a total of five spacewalks on STS-103 in 1999 and STS-109. Michael Massimino served with both Altman and Grunsfeld on STS-109, and performed two spacewalks to service the telescope.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble

Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Paul Morris: Lead Producer 

Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds

Release Date: May 10, 2024

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