Did you know?

The crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia will perform the fourth servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. Learn more about the space walks required for servicing the telescope by following the link below:
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle
/eva/index.html. For mored detailed information on the EVA's follow this link to the Hubble site: http://sm3b.gsfc.nasa.gov/
mission-critical/timeline.html

Hubble is the first spacecraft designed with handrails, easily replaceable equipment and other astronaut-friendly features.

The new solar arrays (SA3) are rigid arrays, which do not roll up and therefore are more robust. Hubble gets a brand new look with its latest set of solar wings. Although one-third smaller than the first two pairs, they will produce 30 percent more power. These are less susceptible to extreme temperatures and their smaller size will reduce the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft.