Hubble "Rose" marks space telescope's 21st birthday. Photo Credit/NASA/ESA and STSI
The Hubble Space Telescope, among the best known and most accomplished spacecraft ever launched, will mark its 21st birthday on Sunday.
The 350 mile high observatory, which has been upgraded five times by space shuttle crews since its April 24, 1990 launching aboard the shuttle Discovery, has enlightened the general public as well as top astronomers from around the world with its powerful optics and stunning photography.
NASA and its partner, the European Space Agency, are marking Hubble’s anniversary with the release of a characteristic image. The image of Arp 273, a pair of intersecting galaxies 300 million light years away in the constellation Andromeda, was snapped on Dec. 17 using Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.
The collision between UGC 1813, the smaller of the galaxies, and UGC 1810, the larger spiral, has created a rose like pattern with gleaming hues of blue, red, gold and white.
Spacewalking astronauts upgrade Hubble. Photo Credit/NASA Photo
The space telescope has probed the mysteries of gigantic black holes and provided experts with insight into the age and expansion of the universe as well as the planet forming processes.
“For 21 years, Hubble has profoundly changed our view of the universe, allowing us to see deep into the past while opening our eyes to the majesty and wonders around us,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Bolden served as Discovery’s pilot during the five day mission that placed Hubble in orbit. The flight was led by Commander Loren Shriver. His crew included astronomer-astronaut Steve Hawley, Bruce McCandless and Kathy Sullivan.
The final servicing mission by shuttle astronauts was flown in May 2009. The orbital overhaul was intended to keep Hubble operating until a replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope, is launched sometime this decade.