Spring Break
Astronauts finish work on inside of Hubble
Marcia Dunn The Associated Press
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: News
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NASA said the revived telescope will be better than ever thanks to the astronauts' efforts and should provide even more dazzling views of the universe for another five to 10 years.
As the spacewalk was drawing to a close, Hubble's chief mechanic John Grunsfeld accidentally bumped one of the telescope's antennas and knocked off its cap with his backpack.
"Oh, I feel terrible," he groaned.
Mission Control quickly assured the astronauts the antenna was fine.
"Sorry Mr. Hubble, have a good voyage," Grunsfeld said after he covered up the tip.
"Consider it a goodbye kiss John," one of his crewmates said.
During this last visit to Hubble, the shuttle Atlantis astronauts outfitted the 19-year-old observatory with two state-of-the-art science instruments, and all new batteries and gyroscopes. The $220 million worth of new instruments should allow the telescope to peer even deeper into the cosmos, as far back as 13 billion years.
"This is a really tremendous adventure that we've been on, a very challenging mission," Grunsfeld said. "I want to wish Hubble its own set of adventures and, with the new instruments we've installed, that it may unlock further mysteries of the universe."
Mission Control congratulated the astronauts for the "electronic brain surgery."
It was the fifth and final spacewalk, lasting more than seven hours, for the Atlantis crew. It was also the fifth and final visit by astronauts, ever, to Hubble.
"This is a real great day," Mission Control told the astronauts, "a great way to finish this out."
Keen on leaving the observatory in the best possible shape, Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel gave the telescope another fresh set of batteries Monday and a new sensor for fine pointing. That left enough time to install steel foil sheets to protect against radiation and the extreme temperature changes of space.
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