By James W Smith
The Hubble has given us pictures of merging galaxies, asteroids, new galaxies, the rings around Uranus, and other planets. It has given scientists insights into star formation and star death. The Hubble Deep Field has produced pictures of distant galaxies nearly ten billion years ago. Hubble has produced information on Black Holes and Gamma-Ray bursts, as well as other scientific mysteries of the Universe.
In fact, the news of pictures of distant space taken by the Hubble Telescope has now become a common occurrence. In fact, a recently released Hubble picture by NASA called "Clash Of Clusters" has provided new scientific evidence of the mysterious material in the Universe known as "dark matter".
"Clash Of Clusters" is just the latest Hubble success story in a remarkable record that has now spanned seventeen years. Over the years, the pictures that the Hubble Telescope has stored and transmitted to Earth have helped resolve some long standing questions in astronomy.
Hubble is also responsible for the dating of the age of the Universe at 12-14 billion years. This is a much closer date than the 10 to 20 billion year range that scientists estimated prior to the Hubble launch.
Indeed, the Hubble Telescope's contribution to our understanding of the Universe has been remarkable. That is why the last NASA mission to the Hubble Telescope is a final opportunity for NASA to revitalize the Telescope. In fact, the final servicing mission is intended to enhance Hubble's capabilities until it is replaced by its successor, the James Webb Telescope in about five years.
The NASA Mission is currently scheduled for launch on October 8, 2008. Veteran Shuttle Commander Scott Altman and astronauts Megan McArthur, Michael Good, Gregory C. Johnson, John Grunsfeld, Michael Massimino, and Andrew Feuste will use the Atlantis Orbiter for the Hubble Mission.
The astronauts will transport 23,000 pounds of hardware to the Hubble Telescope. The eleven-day shuttle mission will feature five dangerous space walks. The space walks will be necessary so that astronauts can install two new science instruments, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Wide Field Camera 3 to enhance the telescope.
The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), is a new spectroscope that will study the large-scale structure of the Universe and how galaxies, stars, and planets form and evolve. The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), is a new camera that will study early and distant galaxies that are currently beyond Hubble's reach, as well as galaxies in our own cosmic neighborhood.
In addition to the new equipment, another important goal of the Mission is to repair equipment that is out of service and in need of repair. During the Mission, the ACS and STIS scientific instruments are scheduled to be repaired in place on the Hubble Telescope. The repair of the equipment will be a difficult aspect of the Servicing Mission since the equipment was not designed for complicated repairs in space.
The Hubble Telescope will also receive a new set of gyroscopes that will stabilize the telescope, and batteries and thermal blankets will be replaced to extend Hubble's operational life until at least the year 2013.
Also, a degrading Fine Guidance Sensor unit, one of three aboard Hubble, will be replaced with a refurbished unit to help maintain the telescope's ability to point and focus on astronomical objects throughout the Universe. A successful completion of the Mission will result in the Hubble Telescope's ability to get a wider, more distant, and sharper view of objects.
NASA intends to upgrade the Hubble Telescope, so that it will have more capability than ever before. It is a servicing mission with considerable danger to the astronauts, but one that has the potential to provide science and astronomy with dramatic rewards.
It is NASA's final mission to the remarkable Telescope and the hope is that, with an enhanced Hubble, there will be more amazing pictures and discoveries of the Universe in the years immediately ahead.
James William Smith has worked in Senior management positions for some of the largest Financial Services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. He has always been interested in writing and listening to different viewpoints on interesting topics.
Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com or his daily blog at http://www.eworldvublog.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_W_Smith
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Space Center Houston - The Centerpiece of the NASA Universe
By Matthew Jorn
For much of the 1960's the very word 'Houston' meant 'NASA'. The crackling audio of a radio transmission from beyond the Earth's atmosphere to the Texas-based mission control are more than the stuff of history books; they are landmark statements of the unquenchable thirst of human curiosity.
The city of Houston's central importance to NASA continues today. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center still serves as Mission Control and monitors all manned NASA flights. In addition to the working environment, the Space Center also serves as a living museum and educational center for space enthusiasts of all ages. The Johnson Space Center is located about 20 miles southeast of downtown Houston near Clear Lake and the attached Space Center Houston is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm (6pm on weekends).
The Space Center Theater is one of the first public IMAX theaters and shows a series of films documenting the birth and maturation of America's space program. The Blastoff Theater takes the IMAX experience to the next level by integrating the physical strains of a real space launch into the theater. If films of space exploration leave you wanting more, the NASA Tour is a guided tram ride through the actually working facilities of Johnson Space Center. Among the highlights of this tour is a stop at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory where guests can catch a glimpse of real astronauts training for upcoming missions in a weightless environment.
Hands-on learning is definitely a factor at the Johnson Space Center. The Astronaut Gallery has dozens of authentic spacesuits from several generations of space flight and has a fitting area where guests can try on real astronaut helmets and gloves. The Feel of Space exhibit illustrates the challenges of living on the International Space Station and provides 24 hands-on task trainers that simulate real astronaut tasks like servicing satellites in orbit or landing a spacecraft.
In addition to these amazing exhibits, Space Center Houston has several limited-time exhibits on display at any given time. Recently they opened a Star Wars: The Clone Wars themed exhibit area featuring gravity bikes, laser duels, and other fanciful fare. Also the Wacky Wednesday program brings in fresh entertainment for children with cartoon characters Ben 10, Scooby-Doo, and Spongebob Squarepants appearing recently.
Tickets for admission to Space Center Houston are very affordable and lots of discounts are offered for families, educational groups, military veterans, government employees, and those who purchase tickets in advance through their website.
Russell & Smith Ford Dealer Houston is proud of our city's role in manned space exploration and encourage all Houstonians to enjoy this valuable part of our civic heritage. This is one of a series of articles highlighting the cultural value of Houston and is sponsored by the Houston Ford Dealership in hopes that people from all over Texas can appreciate the rich nature of Houston's attractions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Jorn
For much of the 1960's the very word 'Houston' meant 'NASA'. The crackling audio of a radio transmission from beyond the Earth's atmosphere to the Texas-based mission control are more than the stuff of history books; they are landmark statements of the unquenchable thirst of human curiosity.
The city of Houston's central importance to NASA continues today. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center still serves as Mission Control and monitors all manned NASA flights. In addition to the working environment, the Space Center also serves as a living museum and educational center for space enthusiasts of all ages. The Johnson Space Center is located about 20 miles southeast of downtown Houston near Clear Lake and the attached Space Center Houston is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm (6pm on weekends).
The Space Center Theater is one of the first public IMAX theaters and shows a series of films documenting the birth and maturation of America's space program. The Blastoff Theater takes the IMAX experience to the next level by integrating the physical strains of a real space launch into the theater. If films of space exploration leave you wanting more, the NASA Tour is a guided tram ride through the actually working facilities of Johnson Space Center. Among the highlights of this tour is a stop at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory where guests can catch a glimpse of real astronauts training for upcoming missions in a weightless environment.
Hands-on learning is definitely a factor at the Johnson Space Center. The Astronaut Gallery has dozens of authentic spacesuits from several generations of space flight and has a fitting area where guests can try on real astronaut helmets and gloves. The Feel of Space exhibit illustrates the challenges of living on the International Space Station and provides 24 hands-on task trainers that simulate real astronaut tasks like servicing satellites in orbit or landing a spacecraft.
In addition to these amazing exhibits, Space Center Houston has several limited-time exhibits on display at any given time. Recently they opened a Star Wars: The Clone Wars themed exhibit area featuring gravity bikes, laser duels, and other fanciful fare. Also the Wacky Wednesday program brings in fresh entertainment for children with cartoon characters Ben 10, Scooby-Doo, and Spongebob Squarepants appearing recently.
Tickets for admission to Space Center Houston are very affordable and lots of discounts are offered for families, educational groups, military veterans, government employees, and those who purchase tickets in advance through their website.
Russell & Smith Ford Dealer Houston is proud of our city's role in manned space exploration and encourage all Houstonians to enjoy this valuable part of our civic heritage. This is one of a series of articles highlighting the cultural value of Houston and is sponsored by the Houston Ford Dealership in hopes that people from all over Texas can appreciate the rich nature of Houston's attractions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Jorn
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