End of an era

Kenneth Hynek • 11th May 2009 • The Sciences, Space
Atlantis, Earth, Endeavour, Hubble Space Telescope, International Space Station, NASA, space shuttle

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The space shuttle Atlantis has taken off on a risky mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope one last time.

The Deeps of Time has an interesting article up with a few details about the mission, and about NASA’s plans for a special, “only if necessary” shuttle mission that has also been prepared should something go awry during the repair process. There is, I understand, a not-insignificant danger of debris causing damage to Atlantis…and should that damage be to her heat-resistant tiles, she will be unable to return to Earth safely.

(And because Atlantis apparently won’t have enough fuel to reach the International Space Station, the rescue plan itself is something to behold.)

The picture above, incidentally, is interesting in that it shows two launch-ready space shuttles sitting on nearby launch pads. I’m led to believe that such a sight is exceedingly rare, and will become more so as the number of remaining shuttle missions dwindles. Atlantis is one shuttle, and the other is Endeavour (though I’m not sure which is which).