Photos: Hubble Telescope takes center stage
Now that the Space Shuttle Atlantis has lifted off, the astronauts on board can get to work on their mission of doing the final repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Hubble in Space Shuttle cargo bay
On May 11, the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-125) launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts' mission is to do a final set of repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Now, the Shuttle has reached Hubble, and the astronauts have set to work.
Here, the Hubble telescope, after being captured and locked down, rests in Atlantis' cargo bay.
Now, the Shuttle has reached Hubble, and the astronauts have set to work.
Here, the Hubble telescope, after being captured and locked down, rests in Atlantis' cargo bay.
Astronaut reflected
Here, astronaut Andrew Feustel takes a picture of himself reflected in the helmet visor of astronaut John Grunsfeld, who is in the middle of a spacewalk to work on the Hubble telescope.
Feustel is taking the picture while on the end of the remote manipulator system, built in Canada.
Feustel is taking the picture while on the end of the remote manipulator system, built in Canada.
Hubble following grappling
An astronaut on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis took this image of the Hubble telescope after it was grabbed by the Canadian-built remote manipulator system.
The shuttle was launched on May 11, with the mission of performing a last set of repairs and upgrades to the telescope.
The shuttle was launched on May 11, with the mission of performing a last set of repairs and upgrades to the telescope.
A Hubble view of Messier 82
In this archival image, released on the 16th anniversary of, and taken by, the Hubble Space Telescope, we see the sharpest wide-angle view ever taken of the starburst galaxy Messier 82.
View of Earth
Among the first group of still images downlinked by the STS-125 crew members aboard the space shuttle Atlantis was this high oblique scene looking toward the Sinai Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea. The Red Sea is just out of frame at bottom right. Saudi Arabia is in the right foreground and Egypt's Nile River and its delta can be seen (lower left) toward the horizon. Jordan and a small portion of Israel can be seen near the top of the frame. The Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba extend from the Red Sea toward the Mediterranean.
Two astronauts working
It may look like several astronauts working on the Hubble Space Telescope, but it's actually only two, astronauts John Grunsfeld (left) and Andrew Feustel (right), both reflected on the mirror-like surface of the telescope. All told, the crew of the Atlantis will perform five spacewalks to work on the telescope.
Power tools in space
Atlantis astronaut John Grunsfeld wields a specialized power tool on the mid-deck of the space shuttle. Grunsfeld will use the tool to do repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Comet crash sites on Jupiter
Pictured here are eight sites on Jupiter where debris from the July 24, 1994, break-up and crash of the comet Shoemaker-Levy hit the planet.
The image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Multiple solar eclipses
Here, we see an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of three separate solar eclipses taking place simultaneously on Jupiter.
The eclipses are a result of three of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto (left to right). Io and Ganymede are also visible in this image, the former a white spot near Jupiter's center and the latter a blue spot near the upper right.
The eclipses are a result of three of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto (left to right). Io and Ganymede are also visible in this image, the former a white spot near Jupiter's center and the latter a blue spot near the upper right.
Shuttle Atlantis leaves the VAB
The launch of STS-125 on the Space Shuttle Atlantis was delayed for months. Here, in an image taken on October 20, 2008, Atlantis is rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for the six-hour trip to the launch pad.
Atlantis blasts off, Endeavor on stand-by
As the Space Shuttle Atlantis blasts off on May 11, the Shuttle Endeavor is seen sitting at the ready on a nearby launch pad. Endeavor was prepared for launch in case a rescue mission is necessary as the crew of Atlantis work on the Hubble Space Telescope.
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