#sts-125

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Space shuttle Atlantis on Launch Pad 39A is viewed across the lagoon at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis is targeted to launch May 12 on the STS-125 mission to upgrade NASA's Hubble Space Telescope."

Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

Date: April 18, 2009

May 11th, 2009 - OV-104 Atlantis departs from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A on a final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). STS-125 would be the only mission Atlantis would visit the HST - prior servicing missions were done by Discovery twice, with Columbia and Endeavour each once.

Upgrades to HST included the Cosmic Origins Spectograph, the Wide Field Camera 3 which can record different wavelengths of light, and a device called the Soft-Capture Mechanism, which will be used by a future craft to safely de-orbit Hubble at the end of its life span. HST is expected to continue to operate well into the 2030s.

STS-125 was unique in that it is one of a few missions that had two full Shuttle stacks on the launch pad at the same time. Any damage sustained from the launch that prevented Atlantis from returning home meant that she would be stuck in orbit with only three weeks of supplies. A rescue mission was specifically developed for STS-125, as the low inclination orbit of the HST meant that the International Space Station would effectively be out of reach of Atlantis and her crew.

In the event of Atlantis suffering damage, STS-400 would launch up to the crippled shuttle and extract the crew for a safe return home. OV-105 Endeavour was placed on stand-by at LC-39B until May 21st, after Atlantis was deemed safe to return home, and was released to begin processing for STS-127.

Atlantis and crew would return home May 24th, landing at Edwards Air Force Base - the weather in Florida deemed unsatisfactory for landing the orbiter. STS-125 had five successful EVAs, orbited the Earth 197 times, and featured the first Tweet from space by Astronaut Michael Massimino which read, “From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”

STS-125 was another shuttle mission to feature an IMAX camera, used to document the life of HST and the views of the universe it has brought to us. IMAX: Hubble 3D was released in 2010 and features the launch of STS-125. 

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– On Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister is lifted toward the payload changeout room, or PCR, on the rotating service structure. The red umbilical lines are still attached. The canister's cargo of Hubble Space Telescope equipment will be deposited in the PCR and later transferred to the payload bay on space shuttle Atlantis, at right. Atlantis' 11-day STS-125 mission to service Hubble is targeted for launch May 12. The flight will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014."

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Date: April 18, 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the payload canister with the Hubble Space Telescope equipment travels in the dark as it heads for Launch Pad 39A, at left. On the pad, the Hubble equipment will be transferred to space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. Atlantis' 11-day STS-125 mission to service Hubble is targeted for launch May 12. The flight will include five spacewalks in which astronauts will refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a result, Hubble's capabilities will be expanded and its operational lifespan extended through at least 2014.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Date: April 18, 2009

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. –– Launch Pads 39A and 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are ablaze with lights before dawn, showing shuttles on both pads. At left is space shuttle Atlantis, poised for the STS-125 mission targeted to launch May 12, and at right is space shuttle Endeavour. Endeavour will be prepared on the pad for liftoff in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary following Atlantis' launch. After Atlantis is cleared to land, Endeavour will move to Launch Pad 39A for its upcoming STS-127 mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch June 13."

Photo credit: NASA/Chris Rhodes

Date: April 18, 2009

"Space Shuttle Atlantis (foreground) sits on Launch Pad A and Endeavour on Launch Pad B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At the left of each shuttle are the open rotating service structures with the payload changeout rooms revealed. The rotating service structures provide protection for weather and access to the shuttle.

For the first time since July 2001, two shuttles are on the launch pads at the same time. Endeavour stands by at pad B in the unlikely event that a rescue mission is necessary during Atlantis' upcoming STS-125 mission to repair NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The mission is slated to launch October 10 2008.

After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue spacecraft, it will be moved to Launch Pad 39A for its STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12 2008."

Date: September 23, 2008