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Projects: Save Voyager and HubbleHubble's Extreme Makeover
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Feustel and Grunsfeld on Third Spacewalk
Tethered to the end of the remote manipulator system arm, which was controlled from inside Atlantis' crew cabin, STS-125 astronaut Andrew Feustel navigates near the Hubble Space Telescope, duing the mission's third spacewalk on May 16, 2009. Astronaut John Grunsfeld signals to his crewmate from just a few feet away. Astronauts Feustel and Grunsfeld were continuing servicing work on the giant observatory, which was locked down in the cargo bay of shuttle Atlantis. Credit: NASA |
We waited a long time for this! On May 13, 2009, for the first time in seven years, the Hubble Space Telescope was not orbiting freely in space. Instead, it was parked securely inside the cargo bay of the shuttle Atlantis, where it was undergoing its fifth and final round of maintenance and repairs. Thanks to this servicing mission, scientists expect that the rejuvenated Hubble will continue studying the mysteries of the universe for many years to come, just as it has for the past 19 years
It almost didn't happen. Back in 2005 then–NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe decided to cancel the final servicing mission to Hubble. We at The Planetary Society protested this decision. Hubble, we knew, was not only an amazing scientific instrument; it was also an unparalleled ambassador for the entire space program, bringing the wonders of space exploration to the people of the world.
And so, we spoke out. Following O'Keefe's announcement, we launched our "Save Hubble" campaign, asking our members to sign a petition to Congress demanding that the servicing mission be restored. Some 10,000 of our members and supporters did just that, and in the end we won our fight: in October 2006, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin announced that the final mission to Hubble will be flown after all. And now, as we watch the images of Hubble coming back to us from the cargo bay of the shuttle Atlantis, we are reminded how important it is for us to stand together and make our voices heard.
Hubble's final servicing mission began on May 11, 2009, as the shuttle Atlantis thundered into orbit. Planetary Society volunteer Ken Kremer was there from the beginning, reporting on the mission's progress.
Read Ken's updates:
» Hubble Astronauts Boldly Go Where No One has Gone Before!
» LRO & LCROSS Up-Close Tour
» Hubble Spacewalks: 2 Down, 3 to Go, Never Routine
» Atlantis Astronauts Rocket into Space and Grab Hubble
» One-on-One Chat with Ed Weiler on Hubble and the Future of Mars Exploration
» Atlantis Launches on a Final Mission to Hubble
» Fueling Atlantis! T Minus 6 Hours and Counting
» Atlantis Exposed to the Heavens -- T Minus 14 Hours from Blast-off to Hubble
» "Go" at T-2 days from launch -- Hubble Science Instruments Preview
» Astronauts Fly into Cape. Countdown Clock Ticking for Mission to Save "The People's Telescope"
» NASA's Final Servicing Mission to the Hubble Space Telescope
Planetary Society volunteer Ken Kremer reported from the Kennedy Space Center, where he witnessed the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis to the Hubble Space Telescope on May 11. Kremer is a research scientist and freelance journalist who spends his spare time giving public outreach presentations on behalf of The Planetary Society as a volunteer and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a Solar System Ambassador. He also enjoys creating Mars mosaics.
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