Posted on 05/18/2009 10:58:05 AM PDT by BlueStateBlues
The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew has completed its equipment replacements and repairs of the Hubble Space Telescope. Tomorrow they will release the Hubble back into open space.
Today they put in a new battery pack, changed-out a gyroscope, and put in three panels of outside insulation.
It was a risk, but it will pay off big rewards for a long time now.
Godspeed home Atlantis, well done.
One more note. With this seemingly successful mission, and the “newness” of the telescope, combined with the launch last week of the Herschel and Planck Space Observatories, their will now be three major new space telescopes and other instruments in operation soon. It’s as if a new day has dawned in our knowledge of the universe, and now to await the results.
Yeah but did they upgrade to new digital television?
I read in the paper this morning something not very comprehensible about breaking a bolt yesterday. What was that about?
The bolt was so stuck that they couldn’t budge it with the instruments, after a great deal of time trying. So Mission Control said to just put all your weight on the thing and pull. He did, it worked, and the repair went on from there.
Cross your fingers, and hope it performs well! Well done Atlantis crew!
Yeah, but what if a meteor hits it, huh?:)
Thanks for the news. Good work, crew!! When is Atlantis scheduled to return?
It will be fun watching a few posters come up with ways to make everything they find impossible when the earths age is only measured in thousands of years.
I really get a kick out of some of their explanations they trot out as fact.
Just wait until Obama terminates the program to redirect the money to more important applications...like ACORN.
Well, since we won’t be able to go up there for awhile, that’s our eyes and ears for a long time to come.
I'm envisioning the bolt coming loose and the astronaut flying back in the opposite direction. Whoa Nelly!
I’m not sure if it was a bolt that comes out or if it was more of a handle that wouldn’t open. But the push back would have been something to see.
No, first I’ve heard. Hope this didn’t happen, or won’t be serious.
NASA is reporting that the end cap was knocked off and copper is exposed. One of the astronauts is going back to reinstall the thermal cover. I am not sure if this is a complete fix or the significance of the copper being exposed to space.
Thanks. The story I read made it sound like the bolt broke off, but it just broke loose, became unstuck.
Godspeed home Atlantis, well done.
it will have to do...we are a third world nation as is the direction 52% of the voters want us to go....so we will be renting space on Soyuz rockets to any anymore space stuff...at least for the next 4 years.
Stripping copper and selling it is big business now, among thieves and the homeless. I wonder if this astronaut thought nobody was looking and he could make a little pocket change.
Can someone do a Space Ping List notice for the thread? Thanks.
I think you meant 'mass'.
L
Hubble Spacewalkers Wrap Up Work
18 May 2009 2:54 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON – After sailing through their spacewalk work, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel are preparing to return to the shuttle Atlantis’ airlock after an emotional exchange commemorating the end of their work.
“It’s a really big adventure we’ve been on,” said an emotional Grunsfeld. “Hubble isn’t just a satellite. It’s about humanity’s quest for knowledge.”
He thanked many people and teams behind the telescope’s evolution and mission life.
“On this mission we tried some things than many people thought were impossible,” he said, referring to some intricate repairs. “We achieved that, and we wish Hubble the best.”
Today is Flight Day 8 of Atlantis’ 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
yeah, he pulled it and the whole thing flipped over.
Does anyone know when they will have it fired back up and working again?
Command Center reported the antenna is working fine. They said it has a larger cap on it now but is A-OK. They must have gone back and installed a different cap on the antenna. Boy, am I glad they fixed it. These guys are GREAT!!!
Once they separate from the shuttle, it'll go back to work.
A wide view of the Hubble Space Telescope, locked down in the cargo bay, is seen in this NASA handout image taken May 14, 2009 from inside the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis. Repair and rejuvenation of the telescope continue as astronauts Mike Massimino and Michael Good conduct the fourth of five spacewalks on Sunday. Image taken May 14, 2009. REUTERS/NASA/Handout
Servicing Missions Overview
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/index.html
Breaking News?
Thanks
Space Ping.
Wonderful news, and thank God it was done without problems. I’m a big “space geek,” too, as well as a proud American: If it’s broken, we can figure out how to fix it. (Well, technically and mechanically, anyway. I don’t know about big gubmint or Obamamania.)
yes
I’ve watched a little NASA TV this week, and I have to say that there’s been some great production moments, even compared to “professional” TV. They’ve had cameras in the astronaut’s helmets and also all around them, watching what they’re doing. And they switch back and forth from camera to camera to give the best view of the action.
It’s been the best mission coverage I’ve seen.
Einstein, I believe, said that without the existence of matter, time does not exist. One has to have a physical particle moving in relation to another physical particle to have a clock. And, there must also be an observer.
Hawking came along and explained “real time” versus “imaginary time.” Yeah, there’s real math involved using imaginary numbers.
Essentially, one can think of imaginary time as being at a right angle to real time. The Y-axis versus the X-axis. If there is no matter, then real time stays at zero. But, anything can be happening in imaginary time. As far as real time is concerned, everything is happening all at once in the imaginary time frame, but as far as imaginary time is concerned, everything is playing out as if it were real time.
I know, it hurts the brain to think about it.
That would great, but I'm sure if it will be able to capture that image.
While were waiting, here is one of mine, taken recently from my humble little earth based observatory
Below is M-13, a Globular star cluster about 25,000 light years from earth, containing several hundred thousand stars.
Below is M42 Nebula in Orion, taken about 3 months ago.
Both these images were obtained by taking a series of exposures, then the exposures were stacked and combined into one single image.
Both images were obtained with an LX200 10" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope using a Canon 40D with CLS light pollution filters.
Articles like this offer a good chance for me to show off my images, since these are the only heavenly bodies my wife allows me to take pictures of.
In a weightless environment, you have no “weight” to put on it. Every time you try to twist lefty-loosey, your body goes righty. You have to find a way to wedge yourself in and loosen it.
Those pics are awesome!
Do you have to be very far away from big city lights to take those?
You have any of planets you might post?
Thank you for the comment.
Being away from big city lights really helps, but there are filters that can be used to help reduces the effects of light pollution. One such filter sits right inside the camera after removing the camera lens.
The M13 star cluster shot above is actually considered one of the brighter deep space objects, even though it is not visible to the unaided eye...from my location anyway.
To be honest, I am really not set up for planetary imaging, but have obtained a few images.
Here's the planet Saturn I took in early 2007 or there abouts. If you look really close, the atmospheric cloud bands, and ring divisions can be seen.
Through the eyepiece, the planet offers much better resolution however. One of these day, I'll be better set up for planetary stuff.
Here's a bit of info about this region that I copied and pasted.
The Appennines mountain range, by far the most magnificent range on the visible surface, with 3000 peaks, and extending in an almost continuous curve of more than 400 miles in length.
The mountain elevation of some of these peaks range from 12,000 feet to 18,000 feet. The last two peaks are perhaps most famous for forming the valley where the Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon.
It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous missions. This landing was considered one of the most scientifically successful missions of the Apollo program and started the last three J-Series missions that included the lunar rover and 3-day stays.
To give you an idea of the distances here, Los Angeles would just about fit into the larger crater to the center right. Straight down from that large crater is where Apollo 15 landed, right up near the mountain range.
Image taken in 2008-Canon 40D at 1/8th second exposure. 
The threads on the last of 4 # 10 bolts on the STIS handrail was inadvertly stripped by the astronaut when he he upped the speed of the power tool too high, and unfortunately this was completely unexpected and no backup bit was brought up that would let them drill out the fastener. They needed to remove the handrail to get to the instrument, so engineers on the ground determined that it would take 60 pounds of force to torque the handrail and snap the screw beneath the thread. In order to protect the astronaut, the joint was taped and he was instructed to go slowly , since the restored energy of the handrail might have caused the severed part to bounce back in his face. Fortunately , he was able to pry it off without incident.
Hope that answers your question.
Grunsfield accidently brushed up against the Low Gain antenna after removing the protective cover and just prior to egress, accidently exposing some copper wires that might have shorted with thermal exposure over time. As aresult, since they had time left in the timeline, he put the protective cover back on, and that should protect the antenna for the foreseeable future. Preliminary subsequent tests on the antenna has shown no degradation in performance.
Good job Atlantis.
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