Book ID: CBB744617492

Not Yet Imagined: A Study of Hubble Space Telescope Operations (2021)

unapi

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the most famous astronomical instrument of its time and one of the best-known robotic vehicles ever put into space. Its launch and deployment into low-Earth orbit from the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1990 appeared to fulfill the plans and dreams of astronomers since the beginnings of space exploration to place a telescope beyond the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere.The first images from Hubble contained a stunning surprise—the space telescope’s main mirror had been precisely ground to the wrong shape. Although HST’s images were still superior to anything available from ground-based telescopes, the Hubble Telescope instantly became a byword for incompetence.With the future of NASA on the line, scientists and engineers devised fixes for the spherical aberration afflicting Hubble, and astronauts flying on the first of five servicing missions to HST installed new instruments that restored the Space Telescope’s capabilities to those promised when it was launched. Within weeks, HST produced the breathtaking images and other data that astronomers and the public had long anticipated, and soon Hubble shed its former image as it became a symbol of American technological and scientific prowess.Not Yet Imagined documents the history of HST from its launch through its first 30 years of operation in space. It focuses on the interactions among the general public, astronomers, engineers, government officials, and members of Congress during that time. The decision-making behind the changes in Hubble’s instrument packages on servicing missions that made HST a model of supranational cooperation amongst scientists is chronicled, along with HST’s contributions to our knowledge about our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. This book also covers the impact of HST and the images it produces on the public’s appreciation for the universe, and how HST has changed the ways astronomy is done.

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Reviewed By

Review James M. Lattis (2023) Review of "Not Yet Imagined: A Study of Hubble Space Telescope Operations". Journal for the History of Astronomy (pp. 107-108). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB744617492/

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Authors & Contributors
Kessler, Elizabeth A.
Ness, Norman F.
McDonald, Prank B.
Sullivan, Kathryn D.
Sonett, C. P.
Darina Volf
Concepts
Space research and exploration
Scientific collaboration
Astronomy
Space travel; space flight
Visual representation; visual communication
Telescopes
Time Periods
20th century, late
21st century
20th century
Places
United States
Soviet Union
Pyrenees (France and Spain)
Russia
France
Europe
Institutions
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Hubble Space Telescope
Mars Exploration Rover Mission (U.S.)
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena
University of Arizona
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