This is a picture of Hubble above the Earth. The picture was taken by astronauts on the Space Shuttle.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy NASA.
Hubble Servicing Mission Canceled
News story originally written on April 21, 2004
The Hubble Space Telescope is getting
old. Every few years it needs to have astronauts visit it and fix worn out
parts. NASA had planned to have the Shuttle visit Hubble in 2006. However,
NASA decided in January 2004 to cancel that mission. NASA thinks it is too
dangerous to send a mission to Hubble. NASA is being very careful about Space
Shuttle missions since the Columbia
disaster.
Without the repair mission Hubble may stop working in a few years. It has
batteries that might wear out. Hubble also has gyroscopes that help steer the
telescope. Those gyroscopes may break down soon. Engineers think Hubble might
stop working in 2006 or 2007. They can't tell for sure, though. Let's hope
Hubble keeps working for a few more years!
NASA is making a new space telescope. The new telescope is called the James
Webb Space Telescope. The new telescope is much larger than Hubble.
NASA has a plan for Hubble when it finally stops working. NASA will attach
a rocket to Hubble. The rocket will steer Hubble towards Earth. Hubble will
crash-land in an ocean, far away from places where people live.
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