hubble space telescope: pictures of the hubble floating in space, pictures of the hubble launching

The Hubble Space Telescope floats against the background of Earth after a week of repair and upgrade by Space Shuttle Columbia astronauts in 2002.

Hubble’s fourth servicing mission gave the telescope its first new instrument installed since the 1997 repair mission – the Advanced Camera for Surveys. It doubled Hubble’s field of view and records information much faster than Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.

The Hubble Space Telescope drifts through space in this picture, taken by Space Shuttle Discovery during Hubble’s second servicing mission in 1997. The 10-foot aperture door, open to admit light, closes to block out space debris.

The observatory’s solar panels and foil-like thermal blankets are clearly visible. The solar panels provide power, while the thermal blankets protect Hubble from the extreme temperatures of space.

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space pictures: hubble floating free

space pictures: hubble in flight

Space pictures: hubble against earth

space pictures: space shuttle discovery launching towards hubble