233-NASA – HD STS-125 Launch for Hubble SM4

Restoring Hubble to Health.
At the Space Telescope facilities at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, USA, a replacement component is being prepared for possible use in Servicing Mission 4. Engineers have examined all the available information on the replacement part and it is now being readied for a sequence of tests, including vibration and thermal testing, to ensure it can survive both launch and the extremes of space. Assuming this goes to plan, the delayed Servicing Mission 4 should take place in February 2009.

Carrying the unit to orbit is within the margins for mass, power, energy and component space for the Shuttle. The procedure to change the component is also relatively straightforward as the it is one of the easiest modules to replace on the entire spacecraft. The module is attached to a bay door by ten bolts and has a single connector plate that plugs-in for all power and data transfer commands.

Atlantis and the STS-125 crew lifted off on a mission on May 11, to upgrade the world’s most famous telescope.

Goddard plays a major role in the Hubble servicing mission. Astronauts trained with sophisticated Hubble models in Goddard facilities, and all of the telescope’s components went through extensive testing at the center.

Goddard’s Space Telescope Operations Control Center staff upload the commands to Hubble that tell it where to point and when, what sensing instruments to use, and when to send data back to Earth. They also troubleshoot any problems that arise. During the servicing mission, the control center plays a vital role in ensuring all the new Hubble components will operate properly after the astronauts install them.