SMOVing Forward on Hubble
29 May 2009, 17:58 UTC
The May 2009 Servicing Mission 4 to the Hubble Space Telescope was a dramatic achievement. The astronaut spacewalks to replace, repair, and refresh the equipment on the observatory were as inspiring as they were successful. Every item on the to do list was checked off, and it is natural to ask “What’s next?”
In particular, folks want [...]
Wide Field Camera 3 in the Clean Room at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The May 2009 Servicing Mission 4 to the Hubble Space Telescope was a dramatic achievement. The astronaut spacewalks to replace, repair, and refresh the equipment on the observatory were as inspiring as they were successful. Every item on the to do list was checked off, and it is natural to ask “What’s next?”
In particular, folks want to know when the first images from the refurbished Hubble will be released.
The next step for the Hubble engineering team is called SMOV – Servicing Mission Observatory Verification. SMOV is the long process of starting up and checking out the new and repaired instruments.
Unfortunately for those impatient to see Hubble’s wonders once again, SMOV will last throughout the summer of 2009. Three of the reasons for the time required are ...
