Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Shuttle Atlantis - 2009 Book

Few NASA announcements stirred as much public controversy as when NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe canceled the fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. On January 16, 2004, the outcry from the scientific community and general public was surprising, coming less than a year after Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry. Launched by Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, Hubble has circled Earth more than 97,000 times and provided more than 4,000 astronomers access to the stars not possible from inside the Earth's atmosphere. Hubble has helped answer some of science's key questions and provided compelling images of our solar system that have awed and inspired the world. Fortunately, things change. After further evaluation, the agency authorized the last servicing mission to Hubble. The STS-125 mission returned the space shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 12 days and five spacewalks, the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis made repairs and upgrades to the telescope, leaving it in better shape than ever and ready for another five years or more of research. Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Space Shuttle Atlantis 2009 follows the final Shuttle servicing mission from the press conference announcement through crew training and vehicle launch preparation. Stunning on-orbit photography taken by the astronauts during five spacewalks is featured along with Altantis' triumphant return to the Kennedy Space Center.Read More