The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 opened a new window for science. The 11 tonne observatory has allowed astronomers throughout the world to considerably increase our knowledge of the Universe. The telescope was conceived and built jointly by NASA and ESA. It was designed to last 20 years, with regular servicing missions by the Shuttle. Astronauts have thus been four times to repair and upgrade its instruments. The scientific community has never ceased to praise this exceptional tool. However, the Columbia tragedy in February 2003 had unexpected consequences for Hubble. Following the accident enquiry, flights to the International Space Station became the priority for Shuttle missions when they resume next year. A Hubble mission has also been considered too risky. So the planned servicing mission to change its batteries and gyroscopes before 2008 was cancelled.
NASA has since started to consider proposals for an entirely robotic mission both to repair the telescope and to ensure that it can saf

Saving Private Hubble
The Hubble Telescope running out of time...with fading batteries and gyroscopes
...Man's eye beyond the sky needs urgent help....as it waits for the return of
the shuttle, could robots save it from extinction find out in SpaceÉ..
This is the most distant point we've seen across the Universe, thanks to
Hubble.
Special Effects taken by of Telescope of Deutsches Museum of Munich
...one of the last in a long line of telescopes...many of its forebearers are
housed here at Munich's Deutsches Museum
They may be antique but the principle remains the same and allows us to see
deep into space.-
Hubble has been orbiting the Earth since its launch in April 1990...a shared
project between the European Space Agency, the United States and Canada.
Pictures of the Universe taken by Hubble
It's allowed scientists to push back the frontiers of space and their
understanding of the origins of time.
The giant telescope orbiting at 600 kilometres is able to produce images
unaffected by the Ear