Spaceflight Now STS-109


Hubble to be set free today
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: March 9, 2002

  Hubble
Hubble is redeployed into space after the servicing. Photo: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now
 
The Columbia astronauts are gearing up to release the rejuvenated Hubble Space Telescope back into open space early today, wrapping up a surprisingly successful five-spacewalk flight to upgrade the $2 billion observatory's electrical system and scientific instruments.

Astronaut Nancy Currie, operating the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm, plans to lock onto a grapple fixture on the side of the telescope around 1:52 a.m. EST. An electrical umbilical providing shuttle power will then be withdrawn an hour later. A few minutes after that, the 24,000-pound telescope will be hoisted above Columbia's cargo bay and oriented for redeployment.

At 3:52 a.m. EST, commands will be sent to power open Hubble's main aperture door, once again exposing its 94.5-inch primary mirror to starlight. Then, at 5:04 a.m. EST (1004 GMT), the space telescope will finally be released back into open space to resume its trail-blazing astronomical observations.

"One of the days that'll be the most exciting will be actually deploy day," said astronomer-astronaut John Grunsfeld, who has now carried out five Hubble servicing spacewalks in two mieeions. "That's because we've finished all the hard work, out doing the EVAs, and now we have the hard work of getting Hubble ready to go, making sure that the aperture door opens, that the high-gain antennas are deployed, the solar arrays are ready to go, and then finally opening up the (service platform) latches.

"Nancy will take the telescope up, put it over the payload bay and then very gently open up the arm snares and back away. At which point (commander) Scott Altman will fire the shuttle's jets to back out from under Hubble.

"The reason it's so interesting is that the particular approach ... takes the Hubble right over our heads," Grunsfeld said. "It goes right over those overhead windows. You know, they're big windows. And it's a 24,500-pound telescope. It's big."

During his previous Hubble visit in 1999, the view of Hubble slowly passing overhead just a few feet away was so startling that "even though we expected it, sort of instinctively everybody ducked as the telescope went over."

"Once it's gone, our job is basically done," Grunsfeld reflected. "We get to watch this great observatory that we've now made much better recede off into the distance. And I'm expecting I'll have some mixed feelings at that point as I did last time, you know, here's my friend the Hubble telescope and we're leaving it again. But it's just a beautiful sight to see the limb of planet Earth and this jewel in the sky going back out to do astronomy."

The astronauts will conduct their first round of media interviews since completing the Hubble overhaul starting at 7:57 a.m.

New patch!
STS-112The official astronaut patch for shuttle mission STS-112 to the International Space Station is now available from the Astronomy Now Store.
 U.S. STORE
 U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Hubble patch
HSTThe patch symbolizing the on-going mission to service and rejuvenate the Hubble Space Telescope is now available from the Astronomy Now Store.
 U.S. STORE
 U.K. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Apollo patches
The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Apollo Collage
This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.
 U.S. STORE

STS-127 Patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to finish building Japanese section of the space station.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE



Hubble Patch
The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Project Orion
The Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA's first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.
 U.S. STORE


Fallen Heroes Patch Collection
The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

On to Mars
A wide variety of papers presented at the first four years of the Mars Society's annual conference are collected together in this volume.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Apollo 12 tribute DVD set

New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Fallen Heroes special patch
This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Women in Space
Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Mars rover poster
This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
 Choose your store:
U.S.


INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2009 Spaceflight Now Inc.