Let's hear it for the crew of STS 125! The Hubble Space Telescope lives!

[Canuckistanian]

Astronauts bid farewell to Hubble telescope after 5-day service call

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Atlantis' astronauts gingerly dropped the Hubble Space Telescope overboard Tuesday, sending the restored observatory off on a new voyage of discovery and bidding it farewell on behalf of the planet.

Hubble - considered better than new following five days of repairs and upgrades - will never be seen up close by humans again. This was NASA's last service call.

The shuttle and telescope had just crossed the Atlantic, and were soaring 560 kilometres above the coast of northwestern Africa, when astronaut Megan McArthur used a robot arm to release the snares gripping Hubble. Then the shuttle slowly backed away.

"Hubble has been released," reported commander Scott Altman. "It's safely back on its journey of exploration as we begin steps to conclude ours. Looking back on this mission, it's been an incredible journey for us as well."

Mission Control radioed congratulations: "It's wonderful to see Hubble, the most famous scientific instrument of all time, newly upgraded and ready for action thanks to you."

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/science/090519/g051906A.html

Obama calls astronauts aboard shuttle Atlantis

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the astronauts aboard space shuttle Atlantis are an example of the dedication and commitment to exploration that represents America.

Obama spoke with the astronauts by telephone on Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office. The astronauts were sent to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, a job they completed on Tuesday.

Atlantis is due to return to Florida on Friday, weather permitting.

Obama told the astronauts that their dedication and commitment to exploration are traits that have always made the country strong.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/science/090520/g052004A.html


:yourock: :headbang: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[marybourg]

1. Woo Hoo for the Hubble!

But I think we should have been on Mars by now, instead of having dissipated our resources on the shuttle and the ISS.

edited to change ISP to ISS

[Canuckistanian]

2. Baby steps

There are many, many problems to be solved before a human goes to Mars.

That said, I agree with your view of the Shuttle. It should have been replaced with a better system long ago.

[Subdivisions]

13. And it's replacement is, IMO, an exciting throwback to those exciting years of yore...

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html">The Constellation Program

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/index.html">The Ares Rockets



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/index.html">The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/altair/index.html">The Altair Lunar Lander

[Captain Hilts]

3. Good as new!

A lame excuse to attach a photograph of The Lunar Module...

[Canuckistanian]

5. I built a model of that as a kid

It used to hang on a thread right next to my model of the Spaceship Enterprise.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Don't you mean 'starship' Enterprise? A friend always used a small model of the Lunar

Module in Monopoly. Of course, we could always tell when he was on our property, so he usually lost.

Here, in Chevy Chase, there used to be a beaten up Chevy Suburban, dark blue-turned purple, with PERFECT military-style lettering on it: USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701. It looked like their liberty van and as though it had driven through a few meteor showers. it was really cool.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Yes, of course, "starship"

And I just saw the new Star Trek movie on the weekend, too. :banghead:

[Captain Hilts]

9. I enjoyed it a great deal...

though I was kind of taken aback at how few women were in it.

I might go see it again.

[progressoid]

25. Me too!

A few years later, it became part of a larger, maga-spaceship with the help of a bunsen burner, some glue and a half dozen other models. :)

[TransitJohn]

4. K&R

I love the Hubble.

[annabanana]

8. Great Job Guys!

I love this stuff. The Hubble has provided the stuff of my dreams for years now...

[Jakes Progress]

10. This is really good.

Hubble is a joy for the mind. When everything else seems to invite cynicism, a few hours with the Hubble site and info will put you in a better frame.

It is the embodiment of Douglas Adams' Total Perspective Vortex. If you're not Zaphod, it will put things in perspective for you.

[stevedeshazer]

11. I suspect we're going to learn a great deal yet from the Hubble Space Telescope

This is great, but we need so much more of this and less war spending.

[Baclava]

12. Cool beans

I just like the purty pictures

[keepthemhonest]

14. Lets hope it extnds the Hubbles'

life alot long thatn they think it will.Woohoo!

[Kajsa]

15. Outstanding job, guys!

They completed the job under very dangerous
working conditions.

The Hubble will now work better than ever.

They are to be commended.

:yourock: :applause:

[Triana]

16. MP3 of Obama's call to space shuttle Atlantis...

http://www.nasa.gov/mp3/350162main_125_whitehouse_call.mp3

[Norrin Radd]

17. kr

[shireen]

18. things have gone remarkably well, lots of happy people

we're absolutely ecstatic about it at work (where Hubble's science mission is done). Lots of champagne celebrations. I was pretty sad to see WFPC2 taken out, after having worked on it for 13 years but am look forward to visiting my ol' buddy at the Smithsonian.



http://jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2155
'Camera That Saved Hubble' - Didn't Want to Leave
May 14, 2009
After struggling with a frozen bolt, spacewalking astronauts removed the JPL-built Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope today (Thurs.).

Article about WFPC2 at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2144

[ControlledDemolition]

19. Let's now have a look at the Cydonia region of Mars! n/t

[FVZA_Colonel]

20. As much as I understand NASA's decision not to return the Hubble to Earth when it's life is up,

it still really, really sucks. The Hubble deserves a place of honor in the Air and Space Museum.

[Baclava]

21. Where's the grappling hooks, the tractor beams?

If was science officer aboard that space station, I'd say "Bring that Hubble over and just tie her up here boys".



Oh, now I suppose some rocket scientist will tell me why it can't be done.

[MisterP]

22. yeah, but they left the lens cap on n/t

[Canuckistanian]

24. D'oh!

[Vidar]

23. Kudos to the astronauts.