Atlantis astronauts give Hubble new eyes
by Rich Bowden - May 15 2009, 00:37
Img: Astronauts remove the old camera from Hubble. Credit: NASA TV
In the first of a number of scheduled spacewalks slated to repair and upgrade the iconic Hubble telescope, NASA astronauts have installed a new camera system that will allow the orbiting observatory to see deeper into space than it was previously able to do.
During a marathon seven-hour spacewalk, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel were able to install the cutting-edge Wide Field Camera 3, which will also allow the observatory to find images across the galaxy in ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared ranges of the light spectrum.
The astronauts were also able to install a new back-up computer, which failed on the telescope last year.
The upgraded camera will allow Hubble to view "further back in time than man ever has before, looking at the history of galaxies from infancy to middle age and working out where we come from," senior Hubble scientist Dave Leckrone told reporters Thursday.
However, Leckrone admitted that not everything had gone according to plan with the mission.
"I'm five years older now than when I came to work this morning," he said jokingly at the news briefing. Despite some tense moments, most notably when the bolt linking the old camera to Hubble refused to loosen, Leckrone said the mission had accomplished most of its aims so far.
"We can sleep pretty well tonight, knowing that's accomplished," he said.
The next repair spacewalk is scheduled for 08:16 on Friday (EST), when astronauts Mike Massimino and Michael Good will replace batteries on Hubble that enable it to change position correctly in order to align for each new set of observations.
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