Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the largest observatory ever launched into orbit. Its position above Earth's atmosphere allows the HST to gather much more detailed images and readings than ground-based telescopes.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis embarked on an 11 day mission to make repairs and upgrade the HST on May 11, 2009. On May 14, 2009, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel set out on their first spacewalk at approximately 9:00 a.m. EST. The two began replacing a 15-year-old camera with an upgraded version that was the size of a "baby grand piano." The repairs/upgrades were successfully completed on May 18, 2009.FOXNews.com: Astronauts Begin First Spacewalk to Fix Hubble (May 14, 2009)Reuters: Astronauts pluck Hubble Space... (May 13, 2009)FOXNews.com: Astronauts Wrap Up Last Spacewalk of Mission (May 18, 2009)

The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on May 11, 2009, carrying a crew of seven astronauts. The astronauts are set to perform repairs and maintenance on the HST, in a series of five spacewalks. The enhancements were expected to make the machine 100 times more powerful, allowing it to examine the universe's mysterious dark matter and dark energy more deeply than ever before.National Geographic: Shuttle Launch Successful; Final Hubble Repairs Await (May 11, 2009)

On September 27, 2008 the Hubble's Science Instrument Control and Data Handling system went down, forcing a switch to the backup channel. However, the backup channel experienced a communications failure, and scientists analyzed downloaded data to identify the cause of the problem. Astronauts were trained to remove the malfunctioning computer and install a spare.CNN: More trouble for NASA's Hubble (October 17, 2008)

• 1969: American astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer gathers the support for his project of an orbital telescope.

• 1977: Congress approves funding for the project.

• April 25, 1990: HST is deployed in space by shuttle Discovery flight STS-31.

• December 2, 1993: Endeavour flight STS-61 launches to perform the Servicing Mission 1 (SM1).

• February 11, 1997: Discovery flight STS-82 launches into space for Servicing Mission 2 (SM2).

• October 29, 1998: Discovery flight STS-95 tests technologies to be used in the next servicing missions.

• December 19, 1999: Discovery flight flight STS-103 launches into space for Servicing Mission 3A (SM3A).

• March 1, 2002: Columbia flight STS-109 launches into space for Servicing Mission 3B (SM3B).

• September 10, 2008: Target date for flight STS-125, the fifth and final Servicing Mission 4 (SM4).

• 2012-2013: End of Hubble Space Telescope operations and controlled de-orbit