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Rescue Mission in Space
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Program Overview
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In April 1990, after 43 years of preparation, NASA launched the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The telescope offered astronomers a
view of the universe out to 12 billion light years. With HST's
increased sensitivity, scientists hoped to see distant galaxies and
to gather information that would give them clues to the origin and
age of the universe. Shortly after its deployment, however,
scientists discovered a major flaw in the equipment: the eight-foot
reflecting mirror at the center of the telescope had a severe
defect, limiting its ability to see faint distant objects. HST was
not able to collect most of the data astronomers had hoped to
gather. After months of planning and rehearsing, seven astronauts
aboard the shuttle Endeavor were launched into space to perform a
repair mission. In December 1993, the 11-day mission, including five
spacewalks, was successfully completed.
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