Mission timeline
Servicing Mission
Launched in 1990, Hubble has been visited by astronauts four times in order to make repairs and add new instruments. Each instrument that flies on Hubble has special features that let astronomers study the heavens in different ways. Hubble’s unique capabilities can also be partnered with other space observatories and those on the ground to enable scientists to explore the universe in ways that no single mission could ever accomplish alone.
With the 2.5-meter (100-inch) Hooker Telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory in Pasadena, CA, astronomer Edwin Hubble measures the distances and velocities of galaxies—work that led to his discovery of the expanding Universe.
The optics company PerkinElmer is commissioned to build the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) and Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS). The mirror polishing was completed in May 1981.
NASA honors the late astronomer, Edwin P. Hubble, for his groundbreaking studies by naming the space-based telescope after him.
The "Pale Blue Dot" is a part of the first-ever "portrait" of the solar system taken by the Voyager 1 space probe from more than 4 billion miles from Earth. From Voyager's great distance, Earth is a mere point of light in the center of one of the bands of light on the right.
A new age of astronomy and astrophysics dawns as the Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
The first image from the Hubble Space Telescope highlights the advantage of photographing stars from above Earth's atmosphere.
Hubble’s first images reveal a flaw in the telescope’s primary mirror, preventing it from focusing.
Hubble resolves, to an unprecedented detail of 0.1 arcsecond, a mysterious elliptical ring of material around the remnants of Supernova 1987A.
An article in the Astrophysical Journal presented findings from galaxy NGC 7457.
One of NASA’s Great Observatories determines the locations of gamma rays and sends alerts to support other telescopes.
This black and white picture of Jupiter is the first of many Hubble observations recording the detailed evolution of Jovian weather.
What were thought to be randomly distributed, nearby primordial clouds of hydrogen may actually be associated with galaxies or clusters of galaxies. Until the launch of Hubble, it was impossible to directly measure the numbers of nearby intergalactic clouds.
Confirmation of planets orbiting a neutron star 2,300 light-years from Earth opens a new frontier of astronomy and planetary science.
The first flight of space shuttle Endeavour on STS-49 includes the first EVA (extravehicular activity) involving three astronauts.
A Hubble Space Telescope image of a giant disk of cold gas and dust fueling a possible black hole at the core of galaxy NGC 4261. Estimated to be 300 light years across, the disk is tipped enough (about 60 degrees) to provide astronomers with a clear view of its bright hub, which presumably harbors the black hole.
A double nucleus is revealed in the core of active galaxy Markarian 315.
highlights:" Gyros, Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS), Spacecraft Computer, S-Band Transmitter, Solid-State Recorder (SSR)"
highlights:" Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC-2), COSTAR, Gyros, Solar Arrays, Magnetometers"
highlights:" Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS), Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), Solid-State Recorder (SSR), Reaction Wheel Assembly"
highlights:" Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS), Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), Solid-State Recorder (SSR), Reaction Wheel Assembly"
Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was designed for periodic servicing to keep it running smoothly and extend its life. Between 1993 and 2009, astronauts visited Hubble five times to replace limited-life items such as batteries, gyroscopes and electronic boxes, and to install state-of-the-art science instruments. Each time astronauts visited Hubble, they left it a more capable, more productive observatory.
Because Hubble was designed to be serviced, the items astronauts replaced were easily accessible. Ranging in size from a shoebox to a telephone booth, most of these items could be removed or installed using special wrenches and power tools.
On-orbit servicing has ensured Hubble’s health and productivity well into the 21st century, allowing this unique scientific resource to continue making exciting discoveries as it explores the universe.
Space Shuttle : Endeavour
Crew : Commander Richard O. Covey, Pilot Kenneth D. Bowersox, Payload Commander F. Story Musgrave, and Mission Specialists Kathryn C. Thornton, Claude Nicollier, Jeffrey A. Hoffman and Tom Akers
As the first in a series of planned visits to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, this mission’s most important objective was to install two devices to fix Hubble’s vision problem. Because Hubble’s primary mirror was incorrectly shaped, the telescope could not focus all the light from an object to a single sharp point. Instead, it saw a fuzzy halo around objects it observed. Once astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour caught up with the orbiting telescope, they hauled it into the shuttle's cargo bay and spent five days tuning it up. They installed two new devices — the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR). Both WFPC2 and the COSTAR apparatus were designed to compensate for the primary mirror’s incorrect shape.
Space Shuttle : Discovery
Crew : Commander Kenneth D. Bowersox, Pilot Scott J. Horowitz, Payload Commander Mark C. Lee, Mission Specialists Steven A.Hawley, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Steven L. Smith and Joseph R. Tanner
Hubble’s first generation cameras gave us remarkable views of very distant galaxies. However, the light from the most distant galaxies is shifted to infrared wavelengths by the expanding universe. To see these galaxies, Hubble needed to be fitted with an instrument that could observe infrared light.
During a 10-day mission, seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery installed two technologically advanced instruments. The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) would be able to observe the universe in the infrared wavelengths. The second instrument — the versatile Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) — would be used to take detailed pictures of celestial objects and hunt for black holes.
Space Shuttle : Discovery
Crew : Commander Curtis L. Brown, Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Payload Commander Steven L. Smith, Mission Specialists C. Michael Foale, John M. Grunsfield, Claude Nicollier and Jean-Francois Clervoy
NASA decided to split the Servicing Mission 3 (SM3) into two parts, SM3A and SM3B, after the third of Hubble’s six gyroscopes failed. (At that time, Hubble needed three gyroscopes to observe a celestial target.) The second part of the mission, SM3B, took place March 1–12, 2002.
On November 13, 1999, the Hubble Space Telescope was placed into safe mode after the failure of a fourth gyroscope. In safe mode Hubble could not observe targets, but its safety was preserved. This protective mode allows ground control of the telescope, but with only two gyros working, Hubble cannot be aimed with the precision necessary for scientific observations of the sky. Controllers closed the aperture door to protect the optics and aligned the spacecraft to ensure that Hubble’s solar panels would receive adequate power from the Sun.
The astronauts also installed an advanced central computer, a digital data recorder, an electronics enhancement kit, battery improvement kits, and new outer layers of thermal protection. Hubble was as good as new.
Space Shuttle : Endeavour
Crew : Commander Richard O. Covey, Pilot Kenneth D. Bowersox, Payload Commander F. Story Musgrave, and Mission Specialists Kathryn C. Thornton, Claude Nicollier, Jeffrey A. Hoffman and Tom Akers
As the first in a series of planned visits to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, this mission’s most important objective was to install two devices to fix Hubble’s vision problem. Because Hubble’s primary mirror was incorrectly shaped, the telescope could not focus all the light from an object to a single sharp point. Instead, it saw a fuzzy halo around objects it observed. Once astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour caught up with the orbiting telescope, they hauled it into the shuttle's cargo bay and spent five days tuning it up. They installed two new devices — the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR). Both WFPC2 and the COSTAR apparatus were designed to compensate for the primary mirror’s incorrect shape.
Space Shuttle : Endeavour
Crew : Commander Richard O. Covey, Pilot Kenneth D. Bowersox, Payload Commander F. Story Musgrave, and Mission Specialists Kathryn C. Thornton, Claude Nicollier, Jeffrey A. Hoffman and Tom Akers
As the first in a series of planned visits to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope, this mission’s most important objective was to install two devices to fix Hubble’s vision problem. Because Hubble’s primary mirror was incorrectly shaped, the telescope could not focus all the light from an object to a single sharp point. Instead, it saw a fuzzy halo around objects it observed. Once astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour caught up with the orbiting telescope, they hauled it into the shuttle's cargo bay and spent five days tuning it up. They installed two new devices — the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR). Both WFPC2 and the COSTAR apparatus were designed to compensate for the primary mirror’s incorrect shape.