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NASA Preparing to Service Hubble for the Last Time, In Glorious Pictures
Posted by Jack Loftus at 5:00 AM on September 2, 2008
The Boston Globe's Big Picture blog continues its incredible coverage of all things wonderful to look at today with a spread relating to the space shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on October 8, equipped with all manner of instruments, batteries and gyroscopes for Hubble. Pictured above is one of the massive Atlantis engines being moved to the main bay for installation. That's just one engine, though—there's plenty of space-related tech porn to be found in the rest of the spread, too.
Servicing Mission 4 astronaut Drew Feustel uses the "Pistol Grip Tool," a computer-controlled power tool, to install the Wide Field Camera 3 into a high-fidelity Hubble model. Just another day at the office.
Feustel gets all the fun gadgets, apparently. In this image he's practicing with one of the cameras for the mission. It's certainly no Nikon D90, but—what am I saying. This thing is one of the most advanced pieces of gear in the solar system. It's Labour Day today. I need this thing for a barbecue. [NASA images via The Big Picture]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 5:20 AM 2/9/08
Makes me think of "Space Camp". Oh the teenage dreams I used to have about Lea Thompson.
jk - my teenage dreams were about She-Hulk, Cheetara, the Banarama video for "Venus", Suzanna Hoff, Madonna's "Open Your Heart" video, and Wonder Woman.
OMG! Ponies!
takashimiike Ultimate
Posted 5:20 AM 2/9/08
Wow!
takashimiike Ultimate
IVPPITER
Posted 5:59 AM 2/9/08
They will make an IMAX movie of hubble and they're taking an IMAX cam with them on STS-125. Does anyone know how an IMAX space cam looks like?
IVPPITER
Kaiser-Machead on the Edge
Posted 5:47 AM 2/9/08
@OMG! Ponies!: I couldn't get passed the green myself.
But then again, dim lights cures many things.
Kaiser-Machead on the Edge
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 6:21 AM 2/9/08
@Git Em SteveDave is Vincible: I think Jinx may have been the 2nd most-obnoxious robot on film. The most obnoxious was WALL*E.
That's right Kaiser-Machead - I hate WALL*E.
OMG! Ponies!
Git Em SteveDave is Vincible
Posted 6:17 AM 2/9/08
@OMG! Ponies!: Lucky. Mine always seemed centered around Jinx. That could explain all of those therapy bills....
Is it me, or does that top photo look like the Vulcan drill from Austin Powers?
Git Em SteveDave is Vincible
zmjjmz
Posted 6:39 AM 2/9/08
Is it just me or does the guy in the 3rd picture look like David Bowman?
zmjjmz
Git Em SteveDave is Vincible
Posted 6:27 AM 2/9/08
@OMG! Ponies!: But Jinx send Max to space!
Git Em SteveDave is Vincible
lol123
Posted 7:12 AM 2/9/08
@Git Em SteveDave is starless: does that make you randy?
lol123
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 7:34 AM 2/9/08
@Git Em SteveDave is starless: I think that even Threepio would take a tire iron to Jinx. Even the robots from Disney's The Black Hole would whale on Jinx given half a chance.
OMG! Ponies!
CaseyG
Posted 8:09 AM 2/9/08
@OMG! Ponies!: The robots from The Black Hole were psychotic without exception, and would stick a tire iron through Wall-E, Buzz Lightyear, Tow Mater, and Elastigirl. All at once, if they could time it right.
CaseyG
DisposableInterloper
Posted 8:29 AM 2/9/08
@IVPPITER:
It's a lot like a regular cam, only a lot chunkier to accommodate the chunkier IMAX format film.
DisposableInterloper
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 8:27 AM 2/9/08
@CaseyG: I fail to see a downside to that bold exciting vision of what could have been.
OMG! Ponies!
bjacobel
Posted 9:33 AM 2/9/08
"One of the most advanced pieces of gear in the solar system" = what it looks like when I put a bag of marshmellows in my microwave. Does it come in black? Or, better yet, Gunmetal Grey?
bjacobel
FrankenPC
Posted 10:02 AM 2/9/08
I remember seeing a documentary on CNC machines a while back. One of the segments had an amazing 6 axis mill machining the turbine for one of the three shuttles main engines. Beautiful. Machined from a solid block of titanium. The machinist commented that the LOX turbine (for the turbo pumps) could drain an entire swimming pool in 25 seconds.
[en.wikipedia.org]
FrankenPC
Fountainhead
Posted 11:10 AM 2/9/08
Oh God, I'm not smart enough to be an astronaut. So sad.
Fountainhead
Git Em SteveDave is starless
Posted 11:47 AM 2/9/08
@FrankenPC: 25 seconds? But I want it drained now.
Git Em SteveDave is starless
BiZarRroBALlmeR
Posted 12:15 PM 2/9/08
@OMG! Ponies!: Suzanna Hoff? Yummy
BiZarRroBALlmeR
BiZarRroBALlmeR
Posted 12:12 PM 2/9/08
It stands to question, if YOU were only going to be serviced one more time who would you want it to be?
BiZarRroBALlmeR
robpruitt
Posted 12:35 PM 2/9/08
This is serious evidence of how much NASA actually does listen to the feedback of both the scientific community and interested parties (fans). They have spent a lot of money keeping this telescope operational and deserve "kudos".
robpruitt
Con Seannery
Posted 2:05 PM 2/9/08
It still gives me chills to see how much power those engines put out. God, I love space travel.
Con Seannery
Kim98
Posted 3:02 PM 2/9/08
You are right that it's no Nikon D90, rather it's a thermal blanket wrapped pro DSLR from either Nikon or Kodak (most likely Nikon). NASA has been using pro-level DSLR's starting from Kodak DSC460's to recently the Nikon D2Xs model (as of STS-124). Before that Nikon D1's were also used.
The reason they look so big and bulky and white is because they are wrapped in insulating material so they can be taken out on space walks. Inside the space station or shuttle you'd recognize them better.
Kim98