Nasa has announced details of a challenging mission to "rescue" the Hubble Space Telescope.
Without the mission, the multi-billion dollar orbiting observatory is likely to fail in 2010 or 2011.
The upgrade will provide a massive boost to Hubble's capabilities, giving it greater sensitivity and a larger field of view.
The mission, by space shuttle Atlantis, will make Hubble 90 times more powerful than its original version.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7164139.stm
The date of the shuttle mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope should be confirmed in the next few weeks, Nasa says.
The flight is currently set for 28 August but the US space agency admits this will slip by four to five weeks.
Getting a new class of external fuel tank ready for the Atlantis orbiter's launch has taken longer than expected, Nasa explained.
The servicing mission should extend Hubble's lifetime to at least 2013.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7378238.stm
NASA preps Atlantis for Hubble mission
Endeavour also readied for possible rescue dash
Space shuttle Endeavour was yesterday rolled into the Kennedy Space Center's giant Vehicle Assembly Building, where technicians will clamp on its external tank and twin solid rocket boosters pending transfer to launch pad 39B some time next week.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/12/nasa_preps_atlantis/
The provisional launch date of space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope has been postponed from 10 to 14 October due to the knock-on effects of Hurricane Ike.
Ike forced the closure of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, resulting in a "lost week of training and mission preparation". NASA will confirm a concrete launch date for Atlantis on 3 October.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/25/atlantis_delay/
A serious equipment failure aboard the Hubble Space Telescope is preventing it from relaying data and images to scientists on Earth and may impact plans to launch a shuttle mission to overhaul the orbital observatory next month, NASA officials said Monday.
The glitch occurred Saturday in one of two sides of a device known as a Control Unit/Science Data Formatter that is responsible for sending data from Hubble to scientists on Earth, said Allard Beutel, a NASA spokesperson at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where the shuttle Atlantis is being primed for an Oct. 14 launch.
More: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080929-hubble-glitch.html
I bet I know what's happened. They've switched to optical communications for data transfer (see http://forum.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/index.php?topic=3855) and the seeing is bad today...
(...and the BBC finally catches up...)
A shuttle mission to service the Hubble telescope will be delayed because of a malfunction on the observatory.
The glitch means Hubble cannot format or store data from its instruments, nor transmit the information to Earth.
The US space agency, Nasa, had planned to send the Atlantis orbiter to repair and upgrade the telescope next month.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7642988.stm
(...and here's El Reg's stab...)
The Hubble space telescope has stopped transmitting data to Earth after a data formatting computer failed. A Shuttle service mission to the telescope has been delayed for four to six months while a replacement formatter and its installation procedures are prepared.
Hubble has a Science Instrument Control and Data Handling unit which manages the various instruments, receives commands from the ground control centre and sends scientific data and images to Earth. It relies on a microprocessor-based Control Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF) to receive data from the telescope's five main instruments and format it into packets for transmission.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/30/hubble_repair_mission/
US space agency (Nasa) officials say the orbiting Hubble telescope should come back online for full science operations on Friday.
The telescope suffered a glitch two weeks ago in a key electronics box that prevented it from routing data from its instruments to the ground.
Engineers will begin the process of switching Hubble over to a back-up system on Wednesday.
The officials told reporters they were confident the procedure would work.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7670412.stm
'Wakey wakey, Side B Control Unit'
NASA will this morning attempt to boot up the Hubble space telescope's redundant Side B Control Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF) following the failure last month of its operational Side A counterpart which blinded the 'scope.
The microprocessor-based CU/SDF is critical to Hubble's operation because it receives data from the telescope's five main instruments and formats it for transmission to Earth. The Side B back-up has not been fired up since Hubble went aloft 18 years ago, but if it can be coaxed into life, the flying eye could be back in action by the end of the week.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/15/hubble_back_up/
NASA is cautiously optimistic that Hubble will soon be back in action following a boot-up of the space telescope's venerable 486 back-up system.
Hubble was last month blinded by the failure of the Control Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF) in its operational Side A Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit (SIC&DH), which packets data from the 'scope's five main instruments for transmission back to Earth. NASA decided to switch operations to the redundant Side B of the SIC&DH, which hadn't been fired up since an upgrade to the main computer back in 1999 empowered Hubble with a mighty Intel 80486 microchip.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/16/hubble_back_up/
In safe mode as NASA probes two systems 'anomalies'
The reactivation of the Hubble space telescope has been suspended while NASA probes a couple of systems 'anomalies' following the boot-up of its back-up computer system.
The venerable eye in the sky was last month blinded by the failure of the Control Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF) in its operational Side A Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit (SIC&DH), which packets data from the 'scope's five main instruments for transmission back to Earth.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/20/hubble_trouble/
(Oh dear.)
NASA yesterday re-activated the Hubble space telescope's back-up computer system, following a few problems coaxing the venerable spare kit into life.
The decision to press the on button means Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations should resume tomorrow, followed by Advanced Camera for Surveys Solar Blind Channel observations later next week.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/24/hubble_fired_up/
The Hubble space telescope should resume science operations on Saturday, say Nasa officials.
Engineers have rebooted the computer which controls most science instruments aboard the orbiting observatory.
Hubble has been "blind" for three weeks after the failure of a command unit forced the telescope into "safe mode".
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7687836.stm
The Hubble space telescope's main camera is back in action following the reactivation last week of the flying eye's backup computer system.
On Saturday morning, the 'scope's science computer commanded the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 out of the safe mode in which the instrument had been slumbering since a computer failure on 16 October. NASA adds: "Additional commanding allowed engineers on the ground to assess the instrument's state of health and verify the contents of the camera's microprocessor memory."
The first images from the camera will be "for data calibration purposes", and the agency hopes to release an image later this week.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/27/hubble_update/
The final mission to service the Hubble space telescope has slipped deeper into next year, Nasa has announced.
Officials said the delay would give engineers extra time to prepare a spare control unit needed to replace one that broke on the observatory last month.
Hubble was taken offline for four weeks by the failure but has since been re-booted using a back-up system.
Meanwhile Nasa said the space shuttle Endeavour would launch on 14 November to the International Space Station.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7701211.stm
NASA has announced that the space shuttle Atlantis's STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope will finally blast off on 12 May next year.
This final servicing jaunt to the venerable eye in the sky was delayed by the failure back in September of Hubble's operational data handling unit. NASA booted up a redundant back-up, but knocked back Atlantis's launch while it put together a spare for installation on STS-125.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/05/hubble_mission/
Space shuttle Atlantis will trundle its way to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A next Tuesday, in preparation for its much-delayed STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
The vehicle, complete with external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters, will travel atop a crawler-transporter for the 3.4 mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad. The trip will take around six hours, NASA estimates.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/26/atlantis_roll_out/
Space shuttle Atlantis yesterday morning arrived at Kennedy Space Centre's Launch Pad 39A, having taken around five hours to trundle the 3.4 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
The spacecraft is slated to blast off on 12 May on STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. This final 11-day servicing trip, aka "Servicing Mission Four", will feature five space walks during which the crew of seven will "will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and replace other Hubble components".
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/01/altantis_launch_pad/
NASA astronaut Mike Massimino has been indulging in some light Twittering ahead of his upcoming trip to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
Mission specialist Massimino's modest number of updates have to date attracted almost 18,000 followers keen to keep up to speed on what's happening with "Astro_Mike".
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/09/twittering_astronaut/
Expect "shock and awe in science" from a repaired and upgraded Hubble Space Telescope.
This is the prediction from a Nasa astronomer who has worked on the mission since its inception.
If all goes completely to plan on Hubble Servicing Mission 4, the orbiting observatory will be reborn as the most productive telescope in history, with even greater powers to probe the Universe's deep history and help cosmologists make sense of one of their biggest problems - "dark energy".
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8040982.stm
The space shuttle Atlantis has blasted off on an ambitious and risky mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope.
Atlantis ducked through clouds as it roared up at 1901 BST (1401 EDT) from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Nasa managers have packaged a complex series of repairs and upgrades into five six-and-a-half-hour spacewalks.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8044041.stm
An inspection of the space shuttle Atlantis has uncovered some "minor" damage to the vehicle's right side, Nasa officials say.
Atlantis appears to be in good overall shape, but Nasa engineers in Houston are still studying the 53cm (21in) line of chips on the shuttle's right side.
More analysis will be needed to assess whether another inspection is needed.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8046219.stm
Space shuttle Atlantis has reached the Hubble telescope, orbiting at a height of 560km (350 miles) over the Earth.
The shuttle crew completed a delicate dance of manoeuvres intended to align Atlantis' robotic arm with the telescope during their approach.
The arm was used to get hold of Hubble and draw it into the shuttle's bay.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8048687.stm
...and El Reg's version: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/14/hubble_grapple/
...and a rather cool photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/3532145692/
Two shuttle astronauts have begun the first of five spacewalks to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.
John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel left the airlock of the Atlantis orbiter just before 1300 GMT, to work on tasks that could take almost seven hours.
The pair will try to fit a new instrument, the Wide Field Camera 3, which will allow Hubble to see deeper into space than ever before.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8050133.stm
Astronaut Mike Massimino has the dubious honour of being the first person to Twitter from space (http://twitter.com/Astro_Mike), having taken time from the space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope to share this tweet with mankind:
From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!
Two shuttle astronauts have completed the first of five spacewalks to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.
John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel spent almost seven hours working on the observatory, and achieved all of their primary objectives.
Chief among these was the installation of a new instrument, the Wide Field Camera 3, which will allow Hubble to see deeper into space than ever before.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8050133.stm
Quote: The spacewalkers tried a number of different tools; but when they failed to move the bolt also, mission control authorised the astronauts to use as much force as possible.
Astronauts have completed the most critical repair to the Hubble Space Telescope after a long struggle.
Mission specialists Mike Good and Mike Massimino put a refurbished pair of gyroscopes into the telescope after a new set refused to go in.
Besides the gyroscopes - to orient it precisely - Hubble got fresh batteries to ensure five more years of life.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8052169.stm
Astronauts upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope have made a third spacewalk in as many days to make repairs deep inside the orbiting observatory.
Mission chief mechanic John Grunsfeld delved into the interior of Hubble to replace computer circuitry that was never meant to be repaired in space.
He was joined by Andrew Feustel to install a new $88m (£58m) spectrograph.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8054055.stm
Space shuttle astronauts have embarked on the fifth and final spacewalk to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Mission specialists John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel have replaced three batteries, so that Hubble now has a brand new complement.
They have also replaced one of the telescope's three fine-guidance sensors which keep the telescope's gaze precisely fixed for observations.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8056186.stm
On Monday, May 11, after months of delays and preparation, NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the final servicing mission to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. The seven crew members left Florida for low Earth orbit at 2:01 pm, for a scheduled 11-day mission, including 5 days of Extra-vehicular activity (EVAs) to work on the Hubble. So far the repairs appear to be going very well - the final EVA is scheduled for today, and the landing planned for May 22nd.
More (and 31 photos): http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/05/hubbles_final_servicing_missio.html
Astronauts on the space shuttle Atlantis have released the Hubble Space Telescope after a series of spacewalks to repair and upgrade the observatory.
Astronaut Megan McArthur liberated the telescope from Atlantis' robotic arm at 0857 EDT (1357 BST), marking the last human contact with Hubble.
Pilot Greg Johnson then used two short burns of the shuttle's thrusters to gently back away from the telescope.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8057549.stm
NASA has postponed until tomorrow the scheduled landing of space shuttle Atlantis at the end of its STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/22/atlantis_landing_postponed/
Nasa has delayed the return to Earth of space shuttle Atlantis as a result of bad weather at the landing site.
Officials decided to abort landing at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, for the second consecutive day.
Instead, an attempt will be made to land on Sunday, either in Florida or at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
(Link now points at next story...)
The space shuttle Atlantis has landed in California, where it was diverted after continuing stormy weather prevented a Florida touchdown.
Atlantis landed at 1539 GMT at Edwards Air Force Base.
Officials had aborted Saturday's planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center for the second consecutive day.
The seven astronauts on board Atlantis have taken part in an ambitious and risky mission to service and re-fit the Hubble telescope.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8062773.stm
The Hubble Space Telescope appears better than new as NASA puts the 19-year-old observatory through a battery of tests after its final facelift by an astronaut repair crew.
Ed Weiler, NASA's science missions chief, said Hubble is in the midst of meticulous systems and calibration checks following the successful upgrades and repairs by Atlantis shuttle astronauts.
"All of those have gone beautifully," Weiler told reporters after Atlantis' smooth California landing on Sunday. "Everything is going well, as far as I can tell."
The calibrations and electronics tests should run their course by the end of summer, with a new and improved Hubble once more ready for science observations in late August, Weiler said.
More: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090526-hubble-upgrades.html (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090526-hubble-upgrades.html)
Space shuttle Atlantis is today at Biggs Army Air Field, El Paso, Texas, having hitched a ride yesterday atop a modified 747 from Edwards Air Force Base, California. NASA is closely eyeing the weather to see if the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft can make the final leg to Kennedy Space Center in Florida this afternoon.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/02/atlantis_shuttle_flight/
Two instruments that served more than 15 years aboard the Hubble telescope have gone on display in the US.
Washington DC's National Air and Space Museum is the new home for the WFPC-2 and Costar, which once served as the telescope's eyes and its spectacles.
The two instruments were replaced during a servicing mission in May.
They will depart in December for a brief tour of California before returning permanently to the museum in March 2010.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8369323.stm