Hubble Space Telescope Live 2009

One last shot at new life; that’s what the Hubble Space Telescope will be given in May of 2009, as the Shuttle Atlantis takes it some brilliant new upgrades and replacement parts.

On Monday May 11, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. EDT - 12:30 p.m. CDT there will be a live event on the Discovery Science Channel. Hubble Live 2009 will show NASA astronauts in the Shuttle Atlantis as they launch from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, FL on their final upgrade mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

You can also watch prelaunch activities and the mission live on the web from NASA TV. The NASA TV schedule can be found at NASA TV Schedule. Coverage includes a web cast the day before the launch at 12:30 p.m. EDT - 11:30 a.m. CDT, news conferences as well as status briefings.

Another good documentary to watch about this mission will be Inside Hubble's Final Missionrevealing inside information aboutNASA making this final attempt to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. This one will be on the National Geographic Channel on May 14, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. EDT - 8:00 p.m. CDT.


This 11 day mission has the ambitious goal of replacing Hubble's current primary camera, as well as replacing the batteries, replacing one of its stabilizing sensors, installing some gyros, and installing some spiffy new equipment. This mission known as Servicing Mission 4, (SM4), will be the last Shuttle mission bound for the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is expected to serve for at least an additional five years with these replacement parts and upgrades in place.

The Wide Field Camera 3, (WFC3), and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, (COS), are among the new instruments planned for installation.As its name indicates the WFC3 is able to span a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the near ultraviolet through the optical, then into the near infrared. WFC3 is the only Hubble instrument capable of "seeing" such a panchromatic range. The COS is a completely new Hubble instrument that will explore how the universe evolved from its ancient beginnings. The COS has an extraordinary sensitivity with its far-ultraviolet channel, increasing beyond previous spectroscopic instruments more than thirty times. This device will be able to detect extremely low light levels, making for greater detail in sampling the chemical composition of gases in distant galactic halos, and providing important insights into the building blocks and growing processes of early galaxies as well as revealing increased knowledge of the production of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium over cosmic time.

Another one of the new instruments added to Hubble will be the Soft Capture Mechanism, (SCM), which is a compact device planned for attachment to the Hubble's aft bulkhead, where it will enable and assist in the safe de-orbit of Hubble, when the end of its useful life is reached. It is essentially a next-generation docking mechanism designed for easy capture and guidance of the telescope into a controlled atmospheric re-entry. In other words this device will make it possible to retrieved Hubble from orbit and bring it back to Earth, after its mission is complete in 2013.

The Advanced Camera for Surveys, (ACS), will be replaced, due to an ACS failure of key channels in 2007 on the Hubble. Upon being repaired successfully, ACS will once again provide the most sensitive images at the visible and near-infrared wavelengths.

Among the more critical replacements will be the new battery modules. These six batteries will replace the original battery modules, which have been in continuous operation for more than 18 years, and are now in a degraded state. The replacement of Hubble's two battery modules (each consisting of three batteries) will rejuvenate Hubble's electrical power system. This replacement, combined with the power system enhancements made on the earlier Servicing Mission 3B, will make for ample power the remainder of Hubble's lifespan.

Also amid the critical replacements will be a new Fine Guidance Sensor, (FGS). Hubble currently has 3 of these sensors, which are essential components of Hubble's "pointing control system". Two of the current FGS units are degrading, while the third is still in excellent health. The replacement of one of the degrading units will bring Hubble back into great target pointing efficiency. Two FGS units are really all that is required. The third is a redundant system. This mission will also include the installation of gyroscopes. These gyroscopes together with the FGS units will give Hubble remarkable stability, 0.007 arc-seconds of a "jitter", which would compare to being so stable as to be able to hold a laser beam on a dime 200 miles away. This level of stability will make it possible for Hubble to aid in finding more extra solar planets or to provide additional data to augment the work of NASA's new Kepler probe.

As a final measure, the Shuttle crew will install new thermal blankets onto Hubble, giving it added protection during its next five year mission. At the end of this 11 day mission, the Hubble Space Telescope will have new life and will bring to us an even clearer picture of the marvelous Universe in which we all live.