[Previous] | [Session 131] | [Next]
J. Grunsfeld, S. Altman, D. Carey, N. Currie, R. Linnehan, M. Massimino, J. Newman (NASA/Johnson Space Center)
On 2002 March 1 Space Shuttle Columbia departed planet Earth to rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope in a nearly 600km orbit on a ten day mission. The Hubble was captured by Columbia�s robotic arm and placed within the payload bay of the Space Shuttle. A team of space walking astronauts, working in 2 teams of 2 astronauts each, performed 5 space walks (Extra-Vehicular Activity or EVA) to service the telescope. In the first and second EVAs the Hubble�s solar arrays were replaced and a new Reaction Wheel Assembly was installed. On the third EVA the Power Control Unit on the Hubble was replaced, requiring the Hubble to be powered off completely�the first time in 12 years on orbit it has been un-powered. On the fourth EVA the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) was installed. On the fifth EVA a cooling system for the Near Infra-red Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) was installed restoring vision to NICMOS. This talk will present not only the astronaut�s viewpoint of the Hubble Servicing Mission, but also those of an astronomer in space. Images from the ACS and restored vision of NICMOS will be presented.
[Previous] | [Session 131] | [Next]
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.