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Old 05-01-2009, 09:01 PM   #25
Dantheman62
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: So. Cal. U.S.
Posts: 4,205
Default Re: The Upcoming Celestial Events thread

Not really on topic, but here's a little info on Hubble!...........

Servicing Mission 4 — the fifth and final visit to Hubble,

1 May 2009
On 11 May, Space Shuttle Atlantis will launch with a crew of seven to visit the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and carry out the fifth and final servicing mission. The replacement and repair of several instruments will see Hubble equipped to continue its programme of discovery well into the next decade.

The combination of Hubble's powerful suite of instruments and its location far above Earth's atmosphere has consistently produced outstanding scientific results for 19 years. This success is due to both the robust initial design of the satellite and the remarkable series of servicing missions that have kept the complex operating platform functioning and up to date.

Astronauts from NASA and ESA visited Hubble in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2002, carrying out a series of repairs and upgrades on each occasion. During the upcoming Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) astronauts will carry out five spacewalks to complete one last set of improvements. This will mean that every major component on the spacecraft, apart from the mirrors, will have undergone at least one upgrade since launch.





For the rest of the article....... http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOC9BNJTF_index_0.html
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