3) 4)Īfter a few weeks of operation, scientists noticed that images being sent back from Hubble were slightly blurred. The telescope's original equipment package included the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WF/PC), Goddard High Resolution Spectograph (GHRS), Faint Object Camera (FOC), Faint Object Spectograph (FOS), and High Speed Photometer (HSP).

Figure 2: IMAX Cargo Bay Camera view of the Hubble Space Telescope at the moment of release, mission STS-31 in April 1990 (image credit: NASA) Background The pointing requirements call for a continuous 24 hour target lock maintenance of 0.007 arcseconds (2 millionth degree). The HST is the most precisely pointed instrument in spaceborne astronomy. The HST primary mirror was a lightweighted monolithic design (824 kg) by Perkin-Elmer (now Goodrich Inc.), Danbury, CN, using a lightweight, thick egg crate core sandwiched between two plates and fused together. The HST (Hubble Space Telescope) of NASA features a ULE TM(Ultra-Low Expansion) primary mirror of 2.4 m diameter (f/24 Ritchey-Chretien) and a 0.3 m Zerodur secondary mirror. Orbit: LEO with an altitude of 547 km an inclination of 28.5º, and a period of 95 minutes. Spacecraft: The spacecraft has a length of 13.2 m, a mass at launch of 10,886 kg, post SM (Servicing Mission) 4 of 12,247 kg, and a maximum diameter of 4.2 m. Hubble’s unique design, allowing it to be repaired and upgraded with advanced technology by astronauts, has made it one of NASA’s longest-living and most valuable space-based observatories, beaming transformational astronomical images to Earth for decades.įigure 1: Hubble has fundamentally changed our understanding of the cosmos, and its story - filled with challenges overcome by innovation, determination, and the human spirit - inspires us (video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Paul R.

In 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope achieved its 30th year in orbit. Servicing Mission 4 (STS-125): May 2009.Servicing Mission 3B (STS-109): February 2002.

Servicing Mission 3A (STS-103): December 1999.Servicing Mission 2 (STS-82): February 1997.Servicing Mission 1 (STS-61): December 1993.First Image: May 20, 1990: Star cluster NGC 3532.Thanks to five servicing missions and more than 25 years of operation, our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same. Hubble's launch and deployment in April 1990 marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope. Hubble is operational as of 2019, in its 30th year on orbit, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories. The HST was launched into LEO (Low Earth Orbit) on Apon STS-31 (12:33:51 UTC, on Shuttle Discovery). The planning for HST started in the early 1970s. Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system. Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe. Hubble, the observatory, is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Hubble confirmed an 'expanding' universe, which provided the foundation for the big-bang theory. The HST (Hubble Space Telescope) of NASA is named in honor of the American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953), Dr. Astronomy and Telescopes HST (Hubble Space Telescope) Mission

1600s telescope drawing