Space Shuttle Captures Hubble

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 04, 2002

Space Shuttle Captures Hubble

U.S. Space shuttle Columbia captured the Hubble Space Telescope early Sunday in preparation for a tuneup the crew will give the orbiting observatory.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

U.S. Space shuttle Columbia captured the Hubble Space Telescope early Sunday in preparation for a tuneup the crew will give the orbiting observatory.

After chasing the telescope for nearly two days, the shuttle caught it approximately 360 miles above the Pacific Ocean southwest of Mexico as the pair hurtled around the Earth at about 17,000 mph. Starting early Monday morning, two pairs of astronauts are set to perform five spacewalks on five consecutive days to install new equipment and parts on Hubble.

Astronaut Nancy Currie used the shuttle's 50-foot-long robotic arm to grab the telescope from orbit. After capturing it, Currie moved Hubble down into Columbia's payload bay and anchored it to a circular work platform.

Sunlight gleamed off Hubble's orange solar arrays, which will be replaced during the spacewalks.

There was concern Columbia might not have been able to proceed with its servicing mission because of a problem with a radiator line used to shed heat from shuttle electronics. The trouble had threatened to cut short the flight.

But mission managers Saturday afternoon, while the seven astronauts slept, decided the reduced flow of Freon in the line would be sufficient for the rest of the 11-day mission, including landing, when the shuttle systems' heat load increases.

The shuttle crew was told of the good news when it was awakened Saturday evening by the theme music from "Mission: Impossible."

The problem in one of two coolant loops was noticed after Columbia reached orbit following its launch Friday.

The contamination in the line may be solder or wiring left over from welding that was part of Columbia's extensive two-year overhaul, said mission director Phil Engelauf. Even though the pipe was cleaned, residue could have remained inside and been knocked loose by the force of liftoff.

Engelauf said that since the problem first cropped up, engineers have become more comfortable with the reduced flow of Freon in the line and think the situation will not worsen.

This is the fourth service call to Hubble.

During the spacewalks, astronauts will equip Hubble with more rigid and energy efficient solar wings; a new power-control unit; a more reliable steering mechanism; a refrigeration system to revive a disabled infrared camera; and an advanced camera to increase the telescope's capability for discovery by 10 times.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Shuttle Blasts Off With New Space Station Crew

US Space Shuttle Columbia Blasts off