Hubble Turns 15

April 25, 2005 -- On April 25, 2005, the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates 15 years of service. The celebration also marks the countdown to the first space shuttle launch in two years, since the Columbia shuttle accident in February of 2003.

NASA should send a space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, not a robotic one, to ensure continuation of the extraordinary scientific output of the telescope and to prepare for its eventual de-orbiting, says a recent report from the National Research Council. Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report recommends the agency should consider launching a shuttle mission as early as possible after the craft is deemed safe to fly again, because some of the telescope's components could degrade to the point where it could no longer perform science or be repaired.

• Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report (2005)
• The National Academies In Focus magazine, "Can Hubble Be Saved?"

• NASA Hubble Anniversary Web site
• European Space Agency Hubble Anniversary Web site