posted 06-12-2008 11:16 PM               

Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has become the foremost astronomical research instrument in history. From neighboring planets in our solar system to the most distant objects in the cosmos, Hubble has investigated the most intriguing questions in science.

Later this year, Space Shuttle Atlantis will rendezvous with Hubble. During several spacewalks, astronauts will repair, replace, and upgrade the observatory's instruments and other systems to far surpass current performance. Hubble's scientific exploration of the Universe continues...

posted 06-13-2008 11:56 AM               

I really like these NASA mission 'movie trailers' that they are putting out these days. Phoenix "7 Minutes of Terror" was great!

...now if it would just get more people interested in this stuff.

posted 07-01-2008 09:54 PM               

In addition to performing the daily orbital operations, servicing mission development and overall management of the Hubble Space Telescope Program, GSFC is also where all the hardware for the flight has been tested and is now being prepared for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch.

As part of the day's activities, the press was provided an opportunity to view the clean room (the largest in the world) where the STS-125 payloads are being readied for their July 14 departure to Florida. Click on photos to enlarge.

This high fidelity mechanical simulator of the aft section of the telescope is used to test the integration of Hubble components.

In the foreground, technicians work atop the orbital replacement unit carrier, a Spacelab pallet that previously flew on the prior three HST servicing missions. The box to the left of the two men will house the Fine Guidance Sensor; the box to the right, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (both instruments were also in the room but covered as their carrier was being prepared). The device between them is an IMAX 3D camera.

In the background, is the flight support system that will mechanically hold Hubble during servicing, as well provide the telescope power and position it as needed during the mission's five spacewalks.

Pictured here is the super lightweight integrated carrier (SLIC) that will support the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) for flight. The camera, which replaces WFC2, the imaging system responsible for some of Hubble's most iconic imagery, will be the first Hubble wide field camera capable of spanning ultraviolet, visible and infrared spectrums.

To the left, among the technicians, can be seen four individuals wearing blue-colored head coverings; they are the STS-125 EVA crew members John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Drew Feustel and Mike Good.

An overview of the STS-125 flight pallets, less the multi-use logistics equipment (MULE) carrier.

posted 07-02-2008 05:45 PM               

That said, if a commercial proposal was put forth to boost the telescope after its end of mission to a higher orbit for later retrieval (or, however unlikely, a commercial solution can be found to returning it safely to Earth) than I am sure NASA would consider that option.

posted 07-11-2008 08:44 AM               

On Thursday, July 10, External Tank 127 (ET-127) was rolled out of the Michoud Processing Facility in Louisiana to a waiting barge and is now on its way to the Kennedy Space Center to fly on STS-125.

posted 07-13-2008 07:26 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Max Q:
It will just die in the atmosphere.

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posted 07-16-2008 09:20 AM               

ET-127 arrived at Kennedy Space Center on July 15. After being offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building, the tank will be raised to vertical, lifted and moved into a checkout cell. Stacking of the tank and solid rocket boosters in support of STS-125 is planned to start on August 7.

Meanwhile, in the Orbiter Processing Facility, the STS-125 crew was taking part in their crew equipment interface test (CEIT), which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment for the mission. Seen here, the astronauts are lowered into Atlantis' payload bay for a close look at the hardware.

posted 07-16-2008 05:06 PM               

First Hubble Flight Hardware Arrives At Kennedy For STS-125

The first major flight hardware for the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is starting to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to begin preparations for its targeted October launch.

Three carriers, which are pallets that will hold equipment in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay, were delivered to Kennedy Wednesday. They will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during Atlantis' mission, designated STS-125 and SM4.

The three payload carriers are the Flight Support System (FSS), the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier (SLIC), and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier (ORUC). At the end of July, a fourth and final carrier, the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment (MULE) carrier, will join the others in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility where the Hubble payload is being prepared for launch.

The Flight Support System will attach, secure and provide power to Hubble and also contains the Soft Capture Mechanism that will assist in the de-orbiting of the telescope when its science mission is over. Among the components to be integrated onto the carriers are the Wide Field Camera 3 that will be placed on the SLIC with Hubble's two new battery modules. The Fine Guidance Sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph will be on the ORUC, as well as the replacement gyros. The Relative Navigation Sensors and the New Outer Blanket Layers will be on the MULE. These components, which will be integrated onto the carriers, will be delivered to Kennedy during the first half of August.

Numerous crew aids and tools that the astronauts will use during their five planned spacewalks also will be integrated onto the carriers. The new hardware will ensure Hubble is at the apex of its scientific capability and that it functions efficiently for a minimum of five more years.

The processing and integration of the Hubble flight hardware will take approximately two months. The payload is scheduled to go to Launch Pad 39A in mid-September to be installed into Atlantis' payload bay.

Atlantis is targeted to launch Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT.

posted 07-17-2008 12:11 PM               

We're planning to launch on October 8. You may also have heard, I understand was the scuttlebutt on the internet about us going early. I can tell you that we are working very, very closely with our counterparts on the shuttle program. Yes, they right now think they can be ready to launch as much as six or seven days earlier than this launch date, however we don't have that type of flexibility. Our hardware hasn't left Goddard yet, we're finishing up the test program. The hardware will be shipping here within the next week and a half, or two weeks from Goddard to go to the Cape and so there is not a lot of flexibility. The remaining couple of weeks that we have here at Goddard are to finish up our work. At the Cape, approximately half of that time at the Cape is shuttle orbiter processing activities that go on. They don't have a lot of flexibility to compress that time more than what they are currently advertising. As far as Hubble goes, we've got, at most, maybe three days of embedded slack in our schedule. If everything goes extremely well for us, it might be possible for us to be one or two days earlier to launch and the shuttle program, in theory, will be poised to take advantage of that. I wouldn't put a whole lot of money on us going much earlier than October 8. So, that's the real story, so our chances of going a week early, like someone was telling me a while ago are zero, I would say.

posted 07-25-2008 10:00 PM               

As originally written, the CR would have moved launch of STS-125, a long-awaited mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, from Oct. 8 to Oct. 2. The flight after that, STS-126, would have moved from Nov. 10 to Nov. 4 - election day in the United States.

But crew training, payload processing and work to ready external tanks for flight prompted managers today to request Oct. 5 for launch of the Hubble servicing mission and Nov. 7 for the subsequent space station assembly flight. A decision on whether to actually approve those target dates is expected Aug. 14.

Assuming the revised target dates are selected, the shuttle Atlantis would take off on the Hubble servicing mission at 3:02:18 a.m. EDT on Oct. 5. The telescope would be grappled around 1:28 a.m. on Oct. 7 and the first of five back-to-back spacewalks to service and upgrade the observatory would begin later that day at 8:17 p.m. If all goes well, Hubble would be released from the shuttle around 9:13 p.m. on Oct. 12 and Atlantis would land back at the Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 16 at 12:04 a.m.

From left are the Flight Support System or FSS, the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier or ORUC, and the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier or SLIC. The Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier will be delivered in early August.

posted 08-05-2008 12:54 AM               

On August 3, External Tank 127 was lowered between STS-125's solid rocket boosters for mating on the mobile launcher platform.

posted 08-07-2008 08:17 PM               

NASA TV to Air Interviews With Hubble Servicing Astronauts

NASA Television will air interviews with each of the seven astronauts who will fly to the Hubble Space Telescope beginning at 8 a.m. EDT, on Monday, Aug. 11.

The crew includes Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, and mission specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel.

The interviews will run repeatedly on NASA TV prior to launch. For information on when and for the complete NASA TV schedule and training footage, visit NASA's website.

posted 08-14-2008 10:45 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by NavySpaceFan:
Any explanation given?

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The Atlas 5 that was scheduled for launch from CCAFS on Oct. 10 is moving, giving STS-125 more opportunities to launch.

posted 08-15-2008 04:12 PM               

Atlantis is scheduled to move from its processing hanger to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, on Monday, Aug. 18, where it will be attached to an external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

The shuttle will roll out to Launch Pad 39A the week of Aug. 24. The date will be finalized early next week.

posted 08-17-2008 02:32 PM               

Space shuttle Atlantis will remain inside its hangar until after Fay, the tropical weather system expected to hit Florida on Tuesday, passes clear of the spaceport. The shuttle had been scheduled to move into the Vehicle Assembly Building on Monday morning for attachment to its fuel tank and solid rocket boosters.

"It is uncertain that the rollover could be followed completing the operation to mate Atlantis to the external tank/solid rocket booster stack before possible tropical storm conditions arrive at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday evening," NASA spokesman George Diller said in a statement.

A new date for Atlantis' move has not been set. Officials say the delay should not impact the planned October 8 launch on the fifth and final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

posted 08-21-2008 02:59 PM               

Plans call for the center to open to all employees and return to full operation Friday. As such, the earliest we could expect to see rollover would be this weekend.

posted 08-22-2008 09:26 AM               

The orbiter Atlantis is being readied to roll over to the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building as early as noon today.

The agency only needs about a 40-minute period of clear conditions to get the winged spaceship from one building to the other. The forecast right now calls for some rain, some wind and some sun, and chances are the move will take place before the end of business today.

NASA is holding up the rollover of the orbiter Atlantis to make certain there will be a two-hour window of good weather prior to backing the priceless spaceship out of its hangar.

Engineers also are concerned that loose siding panels on the Vehicle Assembly Building could get blown off by high winds and strike the winged orbiter.

The four suspect panels are on the west side of the building near the doors to the bay closest to the giant American flag that was painted on the south side of the facility for the bicentenniel in 1976.

NASA meteorologists also remain concerned about the chance of rain and high winds, so the latest word is that the quarter-mile move could take place anytime between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. tonight.