218-NASA – Hubble Team Reactions at the Telescope’s Release

On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Earth with the Hubble Space Telescope nestled securely in its payload bay. The following day, Hubble was released into space, ready to peer into the vast unknown. Since then, Hubble has reinvigorated and reshaped our perception of the cosmos and uncovered a universe of unexpected wonders. Hubble has revealed properties of space and time that for most of human history were only probed in the imaginations of scientists and philosophers. Today, Hubble continues to provide views of cosmic wonders never before seen and is at the forefront of many new discoveries.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been with us for nearly two decades. In that time, its breathtaking images have captured peoples imaginations and its groundbreaking science has revealed some of the many secrets of our universe.

After five spacewalks by the STS-125 mission to repair Hubble, commander Scott “Scooter” Altman confirmed a successful release of the Hubble telescope from the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

As astronaut John Grunsfeld said at the end of the last Hubble spacewalk, Hubble isnt just a satellite. Its about humanitys quest for knowledge. Thanks to this fifth and final shuttle servicing mission, Hubble can continue that quest for years to come.