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Hubble Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 1


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Hubble Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 1

An astronaut working in the cargo bay a very blue earth in the background.
Astronaut F. Story Musgrave works in the space shuttle Endeavour’s cargo bay while the solar array panels on the Hubble Space Telescope are deployed during the final Servicing Mission 1 spacewalk.
NASA

In the pre-dawn hours on Dec. 2, 1993, the space shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a critical mission to repair NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble was designed to be serviced in space with components that astronauts can slide in and out of place. But prior to launch, no one expected the first servicing mission to be of such urgency.

For three years, Hubble had been the punchline of late-night comics and editorial cartoons: the telescope that couldn’t see straight. Since its deployment in 1990, the telescope had been beaming blurry images back to Earth, the result of a flaw in the shape of its primary mirror. Though the mirror was off by only one-fiftieth the width of a human hair, the error had devastating consequences: the light from the mirror didn’t focus quite right. While the images were still better than those taken from Earth and science was still possible, their quality was not what the world expected.

The sense that you got was everybody was looking at the servicing and repair of the Hubble Space Telescope as the mission that could prove NASA’s worth … There was this overarching focus and pressure on the success of this mission.

Richard Covey

Richard Covey

Servicing Mission 1 Astronaut

Servicing Mission 1 was the solution. Aboard the shuttle were the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR), along with other critical components to upgrade the telescope. WFPC2, responsible for the telescope’s visually impactful images, had built-in corrective optics to compensate for the mirror flaw and would replace the Wide Field/Planetary Camera that Hubble launched with. COSTAR was a refrigerator-sized component containing a constellation of mirrors, some only the size of a U.S. nickel, intended to correct and redirect light to the telescope’s other cameras and spectrographs.

An astronaut at one of the gold covered cargo bay carriers with the earth and Hubble off to the right.
Astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton grips a tool to perform servicing mission tasks on the Hubble Space Telescope during the fourth spacewalk of Servicing Mission 1.
NASA

The shuttle’s crew of seven astronauts was aware that not only Hubble’s fate was on their shoulders, but the public perception of NASA and its space program as well.

“If the Hubble repair is a failure, we can write off space science for the foreseeable future,” John Bahcall, the late astrophysicist who advocated for the telescope and a member of its science working group, told the New York Times in 1993.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Lead Producer: Grace Weikert

On Dec. 2, 2023, NASA commemorates the 30th anniversary of Servicing Mission 1 and its success in transforming Hubble into one of NASA’s greatest triumphs: a shining example of human ingenuity in the face of adversity.

During one of the most complex spacewalking missions ever attempted, astronauts conducted five extravehicular activities, totaling over 35 hours. They removed the High Speed Photometer instrument to add COSTAR and swapped out the original Wide Field/Planetary Camera for the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. They also installed other critical components to upgrade the telescope.

The astronauts of STS-61, the first servicing mission to Hubble, pose for an unofficial portrait while in orbit.
The crew of Servicing Mission 1 poses for a portrait on the space shuttle. In the front row from left to right are Swiss scientist Claude Nicollier, mission specialist; Kenneth D. Bowersox, pilot; and Richard O. Covey, mission commander. In the back row are the spacewalkers on this flight: F. Story Musgrave, payload commander; Jeffrey A. Hoffman, mission specialist; Kathryn D. Thornton, mission specialist; and Thomas D. Akers, mission specialist.
NASA

At 1 a.m. on December 18, 1993, about a week after the mission had ended, astronomers gathered around computers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore to witness the first new image from the telescope: a star, shining clear and pristine in the image without the hazy effects of Hubble’s flawed mirror. The new images were so dramatically different that even though the telescope needed around 13 weeks for adjustment to reach its full capabilities, NASA released them early. “It’s fixed beyond our wildest expectations,” said Ed Weiler, Hubble chief scientist during SM1, at a January 1994 press conference.

The look on people’s faces as this picture came up – this was an old [cathode ray] tube-type TV. It took a while for it to build up, but it got clearer and clearer and clearer. Everybody starts shouting.

Ed Weiler

Ed Weiler

Hubble chief scientist during SM1

This two-pane image shows a spiral galaxy that appears blurry on the left, with cloudy arms and a hazy center. A much clearer image of the same spiral galaxy is in the panel on the right, showing a defined core and more distinct arms.
Images of spiral galaxy M100 show the improvement in Hubble’s vision between Wide Field/Planetary Camera and its replacement instrument, the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
NASA, STScI

Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who had advocated diligently for Hubble, was the first to show off the new images to the public at the Jan. 13 press conference. “I’m happy to announce today that after its launch in 1990 and some of its earlier disappointments, the trouble with Hubble is over,” she said.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski is on the left side of the image. To her right she holds an image comprised of two Hubble images. The image on the left is of a star before the installation of COSTAR. It is bright-white and extended, filling the frame. To the right is an image of a star after COSTAR was installed. The star is a bright-white disk in the center of the image.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski displays a picture showing the difference between a star image taken before COSTAR’s installation and the same star after Servicing Mission 1 during the Jan. 13, 1993 press conference announcing the success of the mission.
NASA

Though Servicing Mission 1 is best remembered for its resolution of Hubble’s blurry vision, it accomplished a host of additional tasks that helped transform the telescope into the astronomical powerhouse it remains today.

By the time Servicing Mission 1 launched, the telescope’s gyroscopes – delicate pieces of equipment required to steer and point Hubble – were already breaking down. Three of the six gyroscopes, or gyros, aboard Hubble had failed. The other three – typically kept as backups – were in operation, the minimum number needed to keep Hubble collecting science data. Astronauts replaced four gyroscopes, a fix that would help keep the telescope running smoothly for several years.

Early in Hubble’s time in orbit, NASA discovered that the telescope’s solar arrays would expand and contract excessively in the alternating heat and cold of space as the telescope traveled in and out of sunlight, causing them to vibrate. This forced engineers to use Hubble’s computing capacity to compensate for the “jitter” and reduced observation time. Astronauts replaced Hubble’s solar arrays with new versions that brought the natural jitter down to acceptable levels.

Astronauts also performed an augmentation whose vital importance would become clear a year later: upgrading Hubble’s flight computer with a co-processor and associated memory. Just weeks before the disintegrating comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter in 1994, Hubble went into a protective “safe mode” due to a memory unit problem in the main computer. Engineers were able to use that co-processor’s memory to fix the problem, capturing stunning images of the gas giant being pummeled by comet fragments.

Servicing Mission 1’s impact echoed far beyond Hubble. The mission was a showcase for tasks that could be done in space, proving humanity’s ability to perform highly complex work in orbit. The lessons learned from training for Hubble and from the servicing work itself would be built upon for other astronaut missions, including the four subsequent servicing visits to Hubble between 1997-2009. These additional missions to Hubble would enable the installation of new, cutting-edge instruments, repair of existing science instruments, and the replacement of key hardware, keeping Hubble at the forefront of astrophysics exploration.

Further, the lessons learned from Servicing Mission 1 were a guiding force for work on the International Space Station, and for missions yet to occur. “A lot of the knowledge that was developed there transferred directly to construction of the International Space Station and it’ll transfer to the things we do with [the future orbiting lunar space station] Gateway someday,” said Kenneth Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, who was also astronaut on Servicing Mission 1. “And it’ll apply to things we do on the Moon and in deep space, going to Mars and beyond. It all links.”

To celebrate Servicing Mission 1, NASA is releasing a series of videos over the next two weeks featuring key players – astronauts, scientists, engineers, and more – as they reflect on the struggles and triumphs of that time, as well as the emotional and personal impact that Hubble and SM1 had on their lives. Follow @NASAHubble on X, Instagram, and Facebook, or go to nasa.gov/hubble to watch as the series kicks off this weekend.

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Last Updated
Dec 01, 2023
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Andrea Gianopoulos
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      ASTRA Mission Success
      Members of the NASA Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory team monitor the center’s in-space satellite payload from the onsite ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) Payload Operation Command Center. The ASTRA payload launched aboard the Sidus Space LizzieSat-1 small satellite in March 2024, with the NASA Stennis team announcing in July that it had achieved primary mission objectives. In September, the team announced the ASTRA mission would continue during the satellite’s planned four-year mission.NASA/Danny Nowlin In July, NASA Stennis and commercial partner Sidus Space Inc. announced primary mission success for the center’s historic in-space mission – an autonomous systems payload aboard an orbiting satellite.
      ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) is the on-orbit payload mission developed by NASA Stennis. The NASA Stennis ASTRA technology demonstrator is a payload rider aboard the Sidus Space premier satellite, LizzieSat-1 (LS-1) small satellite. Partner Sidus Space is responsible for all LS-1 mission operations, including launch and satellite activation, which allowed the NASA Stennis ASTRA team to complete its primary mission objectives.
      NASA Stennis announced in September it will continue the center’s in-space autonomous systems payload mission through a follow-on agreement with Sidus Space Inc.
      Range Operations
      The Skydweller Aero solar-powered, autonomous aircraft flies above the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-1/B-2) at NASA’s Stennis Space Center during a September 2024 test operation. Skydweller Aero has an ongoing airspace agreement with NASA Stennis to conduct test flights of its aircraft in the area. Skydweller Aero During 2024, NASA Stennis entered into an agreement with Skydweller Aero Inc. for the company to operate its solar-powered autonomous aircraft in the site’s restricted airspace, a step towards achieving a strategic center goal.
      The agreement marked the first Reimbursable Space Act agreement between NASA Stennis and a commercial company to utilize the south Mississippi center’s unique capabilities to support testing and operation of uncrewed systems.
      The company announced in October it had completed an initial test flight campaign of the aircraft, including two test excursions totaling 16 and 22.5 hours.
      NASA Engagement
      NASA Stennis representatives inspire the Artemis Generation at the NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on Nov. 1-2. NASA’s exhibits at the air show honored 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing and showcased the agency’s mission to inspire the world through discovery. NASA/Stennis NASA representatives participated in a variety of outreach activities during the past year to create meaningful connections with the Artemis Generation.
      The NASA ASTRO CAMP® Community Partners program, which originated at the south Mississippi NASA center, surpassed previous milestone marks in fiscal year 2024 by partnering with 373 community sites, including 50 outside the United States, to inspire youth, families, and educators. 
      NASA Stennis also supported STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) engagement during the year. It once again joined with NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project and co-sponsor Mississippi Power to support the second annual For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition in Laurel, Mississippi. The event attracted 37 high school teams from eight states and one from Mexico.
      The center also supported NASA activities during the 2024 total solar eclipse. In addition, it hosted informational efforts and exhibits at high-visibility events such as the 51st Annual Bayou Classic, and Essence Fest in New Orleans.
      For information about NASA’s Stennis Space Center, visit:
      Stennis Space Center – NASA
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      Last Updated Dec 16, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms
      Stennis Space Center View the full article
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