Atlantis' Mission

 

To infinity

NASA has selected an official launch date for the STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The Atlantis space shuttle with Commander Scott Altman and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 11, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments. After the astronauts' visit, the telescope's capabilities will be expanded and its lifetime extended through at least 2014.

Commander Altman will be joined on the mission by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The spacewalkers are Feustel, Good, Grunsfeld and Massimino. McArthur is the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations.

Check out the Times Special Report to read all of the details.

Would you travel to space? What are the dangers of space travel? How can space debris effect the mission? Do you think traveling to space is worth the risks?

Mission Possible

 

A challenging mission

On this challenging mission, astronauts will fix a computer, install a sophisticated new camera, and make repairs on scientific instruments that were never designed to be fixed in space. The work is designed to get more life -- and more research -- out of the telescope. Check out the details of the repair by clicking on One Last Mission in the Times Special Report. You also can build your own Hubble model. Click on Build a Telescope. Share your thoughts here, and let us know if your model looks like the real thing.

Hubble Space Telescope

NASA and the Hubble

In April 2009, the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 19th anniversary. You can learn all about the Hubble by going to NASA's Hubble Web page. You can keep up with the latest mission news, view interactive videos, see all of Hubble's images, and learn all of the details of Hubble's history, research and findings. After checking out the Hubble Web site, come back to the NIE Blogging Zone and share your thoughts about what you have learned

Through Hubble's Eye

 

Images of space

For decades, scientists longed for a telescope like the Hubble, which would orbit above Earth. Hubble's views are so clear because the telescope can view the heavens above the clouding of Earth's atmosphere. The visions that Hubble has given us are amazing. Go the the Times Special Report and click on Visions to see some of these amazing images. Share your thoughts about these photos here.

Lift Off

 

Taking a voyage with Grunsfeld

Astronaut John Grunsfeld spoke to the St. Petersburg Times and tampabay.com about the mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. You can listen to what Grunsfeld has to say about the mission and about the Hubble by going to the Times Special Report and clicking on Lift Off. Grunsfeld's interview also can be heard in Hubble Log. Share your thoughts about what you have learned here.

Hubble's History

 

In the beginning ...

In 1946, Astronomer Lyman Spitzer proposed a space telescope that would orbit above Earth's atmosphere. Read all about Hubble's history in the Times Special Report by clicking on Hubble Log. Share your thoughts about Hubble's history and what you have learned.