Hubble Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most famous space telescopes ever conceived, having been in orbit for over nineteen years and counting and capturing some of the most breathtaking views of the galaxy ever taken. Named after the American astronomer, Edwin Hubble, the Hubble telescope is one of the largest and versatile telescopes ever deployed to orbit Earth. The Hubble telescope is a collaberative effort between both the European Space Agency and NASA. Originally dreamed up in the 1920s, the Hubble telescope project finally got off the ground during the 1970s and launched in 1990. After being calibrated properly in 1993, the hubble telescope was able to take some of the most breath-taking images of space because of its location outside of Earth’s distorting atmosphere. One of the most significant calculations to come out of the Hubble Space Telescopes launch was the determination of the rate in which the universe is expanding.

General Servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope:
Since the Hubble telescope’s launch, it has had five servicing missions, with the last one occurring in May of 2009. Servicing missions are generally designed to replace parts that are not working properly or to replace parts with improved versions. The service mission in 2009 was designed to be the final mission ever to service the telescope and make improvements to increase its range and optic technology. The final mission was designed to keep the Hubble Space Telescope functioning until the year 2014, when the successor to it, The James Webb Space Telescope is prepared and readied for launch.

Improvements Made During the Final Mission to the Hubble Telescope:
First, the Hubble Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer to increase “high-precision polarimetry”. This is a technique for observing light that has been scattered when astronomers aim to identify what are called “proto-planets”. Astronomy uses polarimetry as a device for seeing around corners based on the way light is reflected around them. This technique has been done without spending millions of dollars in new calibration tools or expensive equipment. It is essentially a new scientific technique that improves the calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a process that was calculated by the Space Telescope Science Institute, and is not the same as the physical mission to repair the Hubble Telescope.

The mission to the Hubble Space Telescope took place in May of 2009. The effort helped to install two new highly-advanced cameras until the Hubble telescope, in addition to the two cameras that already exit on it. The existing cameras also need repairs in order to work to full capacity. Gyroscopes that help scientists determine the orientation of the Hubble telescope were also replaced with improved devices. Further hardware was also installed into the telescope to ensure that it will function properly at least until 2014 when the new infrared telescope is launched around the same time. The five different spacewalks that took place lasted about 36 hours and 56 minutes. In total, the Hubble Space Telescope has saw 166 hours and six minutes of repair time given to it.