FROM THE SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE

Tools of the Trade: Hubble Space Telescope

By Andrew Grant|Thursday, July 23, 2009
RELATED TAGS: COSMOLOGY

From its launch in 1990 until its first servicing in 1993, the Hubble Space Telescope was a $1.6 billion embarrassment, nearly useless because of a misshapen mirror. Sixteen years and thousands of awe-inspiring images later, the fixed Hubble is an invaluable tool for astronomers. In May, astronauts latched on to the tractor-trailer-size satellite for the fifth and final time to make repairs and add instruments that effectively turn it into a new telescope all over again.

Comment on this article
ADVERTISEMENT

DISCOVER's Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest science news delivered weekly right to your inbox!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Collapse bottom bar
June-Cover
+

Login to your Account

X
E-mail address:
Password:
Remember me
Forgot your password?
No problem. Click here to have it e-mailed to you.

Not Registered Yet?

Register now for FREE. Registration only takes a few minutes to complete. Register now »