The Hubble Space Telescope, named after the famous astronomer from early the 1900s, Edwin P. Hubble, is one of the largest and most versatile telescopes NASA has for space exploration. Hubble is more like a giant camera than a telescope; it takes pictures and then sends them back to NASA for research. The Hubble Space Telescope was sent into space in 1990 and currently orbits the earth, pointing towards the expanse of the universe, and helps astronomers view the universe billions of light years away.[1]
History
In the year 1946, a professor at Yale University named Lyman Spitzer proposed the idea of a giant telescope in space. Spitzer’s proposal came as a result of the Earth’s atmosphere distorting the images of any telescope stationed on Earth, even the most precise and well-constructed ones. This idea did not gain a lot of momentum until the year 1966, when the National Academy of Sciences asked Spitzer to lead their efforts in making the concept of a space telescope a reality. However, it wasn’t until the year 1990 that, after gaining the support of NASA in 1971 and then overcoming other obstacles, the Hubble Space Telescope was finally sent into orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The reason why it took so long was not only due to the design, assembly, and construction of the telescope, which in and of itself was no small feat, but also approval of government funding. The original cost was estimated around $500 million, but after new discoveries, such as solar panels, the price of the Hubble dropped to $200 million and funding was approved. Still, after the telescope was approved and completed, many scientists had their doubts about if they would ever get the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, especially after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger just 4 years before.[2] The Hubble has been well worth its cost and effort, providing astronomers with the ability to see the far reaches of space as never before. Much has been learned and discovered as a result of the Hubble and its incredible capabilities, and the discoveries it has made will continue to impact space exploration in the future.
Originally titled the Large Space Telescope, in the year 1983 NASA changed its name to the Hubble Space Telescope in honor of Edwin P. Hubble, a famous astronomer who proved that the universe is expanding. This research led to the theory of the Big Bang, which many scientist and researchers now hold to. The Hubble Space Telescope is 43.5 feet long (the size of a school bus) and weighs as much as two full grown elephants. As it orbits around the earth, it moves at a speed of about 17,000 miles per hour, or roughly five miles per second. The Hubble’s pointing accuracy is so fine-tuned that it could laser pinpoint the head of Roosevelt on a dime from 200 miles away. The Hubble is positioned 600 km above the Earth, can detect light five times more efficiently than ground telescopes, and can observe infrared and ultraviolet light that is filtered out by the atmosphere; providing a more vivid, crisp image of the galaxy.[3] Hubble has viewed the galaxy 13.4 billion light years away, has made more than 1.3 million observations, and has been used to publish over 15,000 scientific papers.[4] Some of these discoveries the Hubble has made include how old the universe is (13.4 billion years), the existence of black holes, and many discoveries of planets and moons inside and beyond our own solar system.[5][6][7] Much of what we now know about the universe is as a result of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Future of Hubble After more than 27 years of service and 4 missions to repair and improve the Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble’s time is drawing to an end. NASA is not planning on any more missions to fix the Hubble, instead setting into motion the creation and eventual deployment of Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which is expected to be launched into space in late 2018 and will orbit the sun.[8] The long-term future, including the retrieval or re-entry of the telescope into the atmosphere, is unknown at this time. However, even though the James Webb Space Telescope will be in service soon, the Hubble’s contract has been extended until the year 2021 and is still expected to be a part of many new discoveries.[9]
^ Okolski, Gabriel. “A Brief History of the Hubble Space Telescope.” NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 18 Apr. 2008, https://history.nasa.gov/hubble/ Accessed 30 Sept. 2017
Hubble Space Telescope
Overview
The Hubble Space Telescope, named after the famous astronomer from early the 1900s, Edwin P. Hubble, is one of the largest and most versatile telescopes NASA has for space exploration. Hubble is more like a giant camera than a telescope; it takes pictures and then sends them back to NASA for research. The Hubble Space Telescope was sent into space in 1990 and currently orbits the earth, pointing towards the expanse of the universe, and helps astronomers view the universe billions of light years away.[1]
History
In the year 1946, a professor at Yale University named Lyman Spitzer proposed the idea of a giant telescope in space. Spitzer’s proposal came as a result of the Earth’s atmosphere distorting the images of any telescope stationed on Earth, even the most precise and well-constructed ones. This idea did not gain a lot of momentum until the year 1966, when the National Academy of Sciences asked Spitzer to lead their efforts in making the concept of a space telescope a reality. However, it wasn’t until the year 1990 that, after gaining the support of NASA in 1971 and then overcoming other obstacles, the Hubble Space Telescope was finally sent into orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The reason why it took so long was not only due to the design, assembly, and construction of the telescope, which in and of itself was no small feat, but also approval of government funding. The original cost was estimated around $500 million, but after new discoveries, such as solar panels, the price of the Hubble dropped to $200 million and funding was approved. Still, after the telescope was approved and completed, many scientists had their doubts about if they would ever get the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit, especially after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger just 4 years before.[2] The Hubble has been well worth its cost and effort, providing astronomers with the ability to see the far reaches of space as never before. Much has been learned and discovered as a result of the Hubble and its incredible capabilities, and the discoveries it has made will continue to impact space exploration in the future.
Originally titled the Large Space Telescope, in the year 1983 NASA changed its name to the Hubble Space Telescope in honor of Edwin P. Hubble, a famous astronomer who proved that the universe is expanding. This research led to the theory of the Big Bang, which many scientist and researchers now hold to. The Hubble Space Telescope is 43.5 feet long (the size of a school bus) and weighs as much as two full grown elephants. As it orbits around the earth, it moves at a speed of about 17,000 miles per hour, or roughly five miles per second. The Hubble’s pointing accuracy is so fine-tuned that it could laser pinpoint the head of Roosevelt on a dime from 200 miles away. The Hubble is positioned 600 km above the Earth, can detect light five times more efficiently than ground telescopes, and can observe infrared and ultraviolet light that is filtered out by the atmosphere; providing a more vivid, crisp image of the galaxy.[3] Hubble has viewed the galaxy 13.4 billion light years away, has made more than 1.3 million observations, and has been used to publish over 15,000 scientific papers.[4] Some of these discoveries the Hubble has made include how old the universe is (13.4 billion years), the existence of black holes, and many discoveries of planets and moons inside and beyond our own solar system.[5] [6] [7] Much of what we now know about the universe is as a result of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Future of Hubble
After more than 27 years of service and 4 missions to repair and improve the Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble’s time is drawing to an end. NASA is not planning on any more missions to fix the Hubble, instead setting into motion the creation and eventual deployment of Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which is expected to be launched into space in late 2018 and will orbit the sun.[8] The long-term future, including the retrieval or re-entry of the telescope into the atmosphere, is unknown at this time. However, even though the James Webb Space Telescope will be in service soon, the Hubble’s contract has been extended until the year 2021 and is still expected to be a part of many new discoveries.[9]
References
“About Hubble.” Hubble Space Telescope, European Space Agency, www.spacetelescope.org/about/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2017
“James Webb Telescope Overview.” Edited by Rob Garner, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 3 Aug. 2017, https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/about/index.html Accessed 30 Sept. 2017