The newly-refurbished Hubble Telescope is back in action. After several months of calibration and tests, NASA has released (Wed, 09-09-2009) a series of spectacular photos, and they clearly show that the magnificent images of the past might pale in comparison to what we can expect in the future. The old gal is back with a vengeance.
In 1990, Hubble was launched into Earth’s orbit. Since then, the shiny foil-wrapped wonder has circled our planet some 97,000 times and sent back more awe-inspiring photographs and technical data than expert or layman could have ever dreamed of. It’s quite easily NASA’s most well-known piece of hardware, and rightly so. But eighteen years in the environment of space can be brutal, and along the way Hubble has needed more than a few repairs and upgrades. She’s far exceeded her originally-intended lifespan, thanks to NASA’s resolve to keep her flying and a few vocal advocates in the U.S. government, not to mention some difficult hands-on by our astronauts.
The shuttle Atlantis’ May 2009 mission (STS-125) was Hubble intensive, with five spacewalks dedicated to replacing and repairing equipment that had failed or become outdated. As we stand now, Hubble’s revamp will probably keep it up and running to its full potential until at least 2014. And there’s no denying that Hubble’s full potential is nothing less than than extraordinary.
Pictures like this set off fire alarms in the average science fiction fan’s mind. All those stars. Whenever I see a Hubble photo I have to constantly remind myself: Yeah, this is real! What I’m looking at is really out there somewhere! And you, Reader? You’re wondering how many planets are circling these stars, how many civilizations, aren’t you? Wondering about the beings that could be within the frame of this one photo. What are they like, and when will we meet them?
Hubble’s got a knack for inspiring thoughts like that, and with thousands of images already taken and more on the way, it looks like she’s going to be inspiring us for quite some time.
Main Hubble Page at NASA
Hubble Site
The Hubble Heritage Project
2 Responses to Hubble Telescope: One Awesome Cougar
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Hi Doug,
Each time I look at the Hubble pictures I do think of all possible life out there. It also reminds me of the following quote by Carl Sagan from Cosmos.
“There are some hundred billion (1011) galaxies, each with, on the average, a hundred billion stars. In all the galaxies, there are perhaps as many planets as stars, 1011 x 1011 = 1022, ten billion trillion. In the face of such overpowering numbers, what is the likelihood that only one ordinary star, the Sun, is accompanied by an inhabited planet? Why should we, tucked away in some forgotten corner of the Cosmos, be so fortunate? To me, it seems far more likely that the universe is brimming over with life. But we humans do not yet know. We are just beginning our explorations. The only planet we are sure is inhabited is a tiny speck of rock and metal, shining feebly by reflected sunlight, and at this distance utterly lost.”
Just imagine what is happening at this very moment somewhere out there…magical.
Sherri (smarx)
oh. my. gods.
lovely.