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Following a successful return from STS-33, she was processed, mated to her External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters and rolled out to Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Pad 39B.<\/p>\n
Once at the pad, she was joined by her crew, which included the current NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.<\/p>\n
The initial launch attempt on April 10 was scrubbed at the T-4 minute mark due to a faulty valve in one of Discovery\u2019s three APUs (Auxiliary Power Units). The APU in question was replaced and launch retargeted for April 24, 1990.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-001142\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-001142-350x234.jpg\")
With the flagship Columbia taking a keen interest from the next door pad, the launch attempt on April 24 was momentarily halted at the T-31 second mark when computer software failed to shut a fuel valve line on the ground support equipment.<\/p>\nThe valve was quickly shut by remote command from the Launch Team and Discovery lifted off at 08:33:51 EDT.<\/p>\n
NASA mission patches
<\/path>Space Shuttle models <\/path>NASA educational resources <\/path>\n (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n
Discovery\u2019s crew transitioned into the task of deploying the Hubble the following day, after reaching the 380 statute mile orbit. This was the highest an orbiter had travelled above Earth to date.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-002105\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-002105-350x282.jpg\")
Giving birth to Hubble on orbit didn\u2019t go as smoothly as was hoped, as one of the observatory\u2019s solar arrays stopped as it was unfurling.<\/p>\nThe plan for such a scenario was to conduct a contingency spacewalk. However, the ground teams eventually persuaded the array to deploy.<\/p>\n
While Discovery completed her mission \u2013 and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 29 \u2013 scientists were eagerly waiting to get their hands on the first images from the latest NASA hardware in space.<\/p>\n
Those first images showed Hubble had a problem.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Discovery\u2019s mission was a success, but the images revealed Hubble\u2019s main mirror had been ground incorrectly, effectively compromising Hubble\u2019s eyesight. A major effort was undertaken to fix the problem, via another Shuttle mission.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-005437\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-005437-350x236.jpg\")
It was Discovery\u2019s younger sister that came to the rescue of Hubble in 1993, as Endeavour launched on only her fifth mission to carry out a critical service mission, with the main goal of correcting the telescope\u2019s impaired vision.<\/p>\nSTS-61\u2019s five grueling EVAs in a row successfully installing a corrective optics package \u2013 along with new solar arrays \u2013 during the highly complex 11 day mission.<\/p>\n
Hubble was back to full health and started to provide the stunning images of the cosmos that have fascinated the entire human race ever since.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-005647\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-005647-350x228.jpg\")
Discovery would return to Hubble in 1997, as STS-82\u2019s mission upgraded the telescope\u2019s scientific instruments and increased its research capabilities.<\/p>\nDiscovery would visit her favourite telescope once again on the third servicing mission in 1999, replacing all six of Hubble\u2019s gyroscopes \u2013 three of which had failed \u2013 along with replacing a Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and the telescope\u2019s computer.<\/p>\n
In what was Columbia\u2019s penultimate mission prior to her tragic loss, STS-109 carried out the fourth servicing mission in 2002, with each visit extending the life of the telescope.<\/p>\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/STS109.jpg\" "\\"View")
The five-EVA mission installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), new rigid Solar Arrays (SA3), a new Power Control Unit (PCU) and a new Cryocooler for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). Columbia also provided Hubble with a farewell push, as the orbiter reboosted the telescope to a higher orbit.<\/p>\nHowever, due to Columbia\u2019s loss the following year, NASA managers were left with a dilemma.<\/p>\n
Hubble was next scheduled to be serviced in 2005, yet NASA\u2019s own Return To Flight (RTF) rules insisted on the \u201csafe haven\u201d requirement, allowing for an orbiter, damaged during launch, to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) for its crew to wait for another shuttle to bring them home safe.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-005837\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-005837-350x247.jpg\")
Based on these rules, then-NASA Chief Sean O\u2019Keefe resisted the calls for Hubble to be serviced, whilst noting an alternative mission using robotic assets would not be developed in time to save the telescope. Hubble\u2019s gyroscopes were expected to fail \u2013 and its batteries to run out \u2013 no later than 2010.<\/p>\nMr. O\u2019Keefe\u2019s successor, Mike Griffin, noted the NASA stance was based mainly on the understandable pain associated with losing Columbia and the need to not take any unnecessary chances with the orbiters and their crews during the final era of their service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision not to execute the planned Shuttle servicing mission was made in the immediate aftermath of the loss of Shuttle Columbia,\u201d Mr. Griffin told senators at his confirmation hearing. \u201cWhen we Return to Flight, it will be with essentially a new vehicle that will have a new risk analysis associated with it.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-005917\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-005917-350x268.jpg\")
\u201cAt that time, I think we should reassess the earlier decision in light of what we learn after the Return to Flight.\u201d<\/p>\nAs it stood, NASA was expected to press ahead with a plan to deorbit Hubble into the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, the Return To Flight of the Shuttle fleet showed the array of safety improvements allowed for the final Hubble Servicing Mission (SM-4) to be re-evaluated. However, the challenge of launching a mission without the Safe Haven of the ISS being available needed to be solved.<\/p>\n
That solution came in the form of another Shuttle, ready to launch within days of a problem on an elaborate rescue mission.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/STS125payload.jpg\" "\\"STS125payload\\"")
Administrator Griffin eventually approved SM-4 for Atlantis and STS-125, after the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) started to prove its new safety measures were working \u2013 such as the increasing the mitigation of External Tank foam loss and advances in Thermal Protection System (TPS) inspection, along with repair techniques \u2013 during the opening salvo of post-RTF missions.<\/p>\nThe best possible crew were assigned to Atlantis for the final rendezvous between the world-famous vehicles, led by commander Scott Altman, assisted by six crewmembers that included John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/STS125400.jpg\" "\\"STS125400\\"")
Endeavour would also receive a co-star role by standing by as the STS-400 rescue mission, seeing her sat on Pad 39B ready to launch at short notice in the event Atlantis\u2019 launch \u2013 from Pad 39A \u2013 suffered a major issue during the ride uphill on what proved to be a delayed launch date, as Hubble itself worked through problems on orbit.<\/p>\nThat contingency wasn\u2019t required, as Atlantis and her crew conducted a flawless launch and rendezvous with Hubble in May, 2009 \u2013 no easy task even under nominal conditions, as the orbiters use up nearly half of their prop capability just to reach the \u201cheight\u201d of the telescope\u2019s orbit and can endure higher MMOD risks.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/WFC3Install.jpg\" "\\"WFC3Install\\"")
The 14 day mission involved five back-to-back EVAs, including its own challenges \u2013 highlighted by Massimino literally using brute force to pull off the STIS hand rail from the telescope (see L2 video) during EVA-4.<\/p>\nHowever, the mission achieved all of its primary goals, including the installation of two new instruments, namely the the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC 3), leaving Hubble in a great condition to continue its role for many years to come.<\/p>\n
Marking the 25th anniversary since its launch, it was left to Administrator Bolden \u2013 who rode uphill with the telescope during STS-31 \u2013 to praise Hubble\u2019s achievements.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-24-010645\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-24-010645-350x258.jpg\")
\u201cI\u2019m proud to have been a part of such a fine crew that launched Hubble in 1990, along with Loren Shriver, Dr. Steve Hawley, Dr. Kathy Sullivan and Bruce McCandless. I\u2019m also immensely proud to work with all of you,\u201d he said in a memo to the workforce.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a tribute to the hard work, ingenuity and imagination of so many in our NASA Family that this week we\u2019re able to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a quarter century and counting, Hubble has cast the collective eye of humanity on the previously unknown and unimagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt once a scientific marvel and gallery of wonder, it continues to teach us about the vastness and beauty of the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n
To read about the orbiters \u2013 from birth, processing, every single mission, through to retirement, click here for the links:
\nhttp:\/\/forum.nasaspaceflight.com\/index.php?topic=25837.0<\/p>\n(Article images via L2, L2 Historical and NASA)<\/p>\n
(Click here to Join L2, support NSF and access over 6,000 GBs of exclusive content http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Space Shuttle achieved many historic milestones during its 30 year career, with Friday marking one of the more famous \u2013 the 25th anniversary of Discovery launch with the Hubble Space Telescope. Over the following years, Discovery\u2019s achievement was backed up by serving missions involving her sisters, allowing for Hubble to continue on with discoveries of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4259,7779],"class_list":["post-39356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-hubble","tag-shuttle"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39356"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}