John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustal not only finished everything they were supposed to do today, they also managed to finish the one extra insulation blanket task that had been left over from yesterday (dropped from spacewalk #4 due to lack of time).
As the ultimate Hubble lover, I'm sure Grunsfeld was determined to get it all done. Since he couldn't force managers to let their spacewalk go long, I suspect he just did his absolute best to get everything else done so quickly that in the end they would almost have no choice but to let him add on yesterday's left-over blanket task.
I doubt he'd ever admit to this strategy, but I intend to ask him when we interview him after the flight.
So in the end the mission accomplished 100% of its goals. Tonight, Hubble has two brand-new instruments, two repaired instruments, new batteries, new insulation, new gyros, and a new guidance sensor. All the scientists are saying it's not merely like a new telescope, it's actually much more powerful (20 times, 80 times? estimates vary) than it has ever been.
Obviously the flight is not over. Tuesday Megan will release Hubble back into its own orbit, and it will slowly drift away--the last time ever that humans will lay eyes on the telescope.
Then the shuttle will fire engines to change its orbit into a more elliptical shape (right now they're in a nearly perfect circle over 300 miles up). By getting into an ellipse, from now on they'll spend portions of every orbit at a much lower altitude, which reduces their risk of being hit by micro-meteorites or space debris.
Megan will then spend the next two days inspecting their vehicle for damage that could affect their reentry. In case she finds a problem, the rescue shuttle and crew are still standing by in Florida--it ain't over yet.
Still, all the Goddard engineers I've been following for two years are celebrating tonight. They won't let down their guard completely until the astronauts are home safe, but with the spacewalks done--and 100% successful--their job is over.
It's definitely a bittersweet moment for them, though; many have worked together on Hubble for a decade, even two. One manager, Frank "Cepi" Cepollina has been involved with the Hubble project since the 1970s, before the telescope was even built.
They're all still high from a successful last spacewalk, but at some point soon their team will start to disband forever, and I'm sure they'll feel a letdown. It's the start of what promises to be some magnificent science for Hubble, but it's also the end of an era.
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