Hubble Space Telescope to Be Repaired

November 1, 2006 -- NASA has announced that it will send a space shuttle crew to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope in 2008 in order to prolong the telescope's life through 2013. Along with repairs, astronauts will install the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Wide Field Camera 3.

COS will measure the distribution and composition of galaxies and intergalactic gases that float through space. By gaining a better understanding this “cosmic web,” scientists are hoping to reveal the large-scale structure of the universe and how matter has changed as the universe has grown older. WFC3 will extend Hubble’s capability to examine near and distant stars by sensing multiple wavelengths of light including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. In 2013 NASA is planning to launch the James Webb Space Telescope as Hubble's successor.

The National Research Council recommended that NASA 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. Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report urged the agency to consider launching a mission as early as possible after the shuttle 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)

• NASA: Hubble Space Telescope Main