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J.M. Grunsfeld, C.M. Foale, C. Nicollier, S.L. Smith (NASA/Johnson Space Center)
On 2 December 1999 Space Shuttle Discovery will leave planet Earth to rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope in a nearly 600km orbit. Once the Hubble has been captured within the payload bay of the Space Shuttle a team of space walking astronauts, working in 2 teams of 2 astronauts each, will perform 4 space walks (Extra-Vehicular Activity or EVA) to service the telescope. In the first EVA three Rate Sensor Units, containing the six precision gyroscopes that allow Hubble to achieve superb stability, will be replaced. The second EVA will result in the upgrade of the central computer on Hubble with a new more capable unit, and the replacement of one of the Fine Guidance Sensors. In the subsequent 2 EVAs a science tape recorder, a telemetry transceiver, and thermal blankets will be replaced. This talk will present not only the astronaut’s viewpoint of the Hubble Servicing Mission, but also those of an astronomer in space as three of the four EVA astronauts are astronomers. Preliminary results of the operation of the telescope following the mission will be presented.