Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off at 2:01 PM EDT Monday, May 11, 2009, on the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. The STS-125 crew consists of astronauts Michael J. Massimino, Michael T. Good, both mission specialists; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Scott D. Altman, commander; K. Megan McArthur, John M. Grunsfeld and Andrew J. Feustel, all mission specialists.
Read more about STS-125 on the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 page on NASA\’s website.
Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off at 2:01 PM EDT today, Monday, May 11, 2009, on the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. STS-125 is an eleven-day mission that includes five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with upgraded science instruments. The upgrades will improve Hubble\’s sensitivity up to seventy times and extend its lifetime through at least 2014.
Read more about STS-125 on the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 page on NASA\’s website.
ESA plans to answer questions like how did the Universe begin, how did it evolve to its present state, and how will it continue to evolve in the future with Planck. The Planck Mission will collect CMB radiation measurements using highly sensitive sensors that are operating at very low temperatures. The measurements will be used to map the smallest variations of the CMB detected to date.
Read more about Planck…
The objectives that ESA set for the Herschel Space Observatory are ambitious: the study of the galaxies in the early universe, the investigation of the creation of stars, the observation of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and surfaces of comets, planets and satellites, as well as examining the molecular chemistry of the universe.
Herschel will observe the sky from the second Lagrangean Point (L2) of the Sun-Earth system. The instruments onboard Herschel will collect long-wavelength infrared radiation. Herschel will be the only space observatory to cover the spectral range from the far infrared to sub-millimeter.
Read more about Herschel…
Dragon spacecraft can carry up to seven passengers in crew configuration. SpaceX also claims fully autonomous rendezvous and docking capabilities for the Dragon spacecraft. Falcon 9 is a two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene. Nine Merlin engines power the first stage of the launcher. The second stage of the Falcon 9 launcher is powered by one Merlin engine.
For more information about SpaceX and the Dragon/Falcon 9 launch system, you can visit the SpaceX website.
The objectives that ESA set for the Herschel Space Observatory are ambitious: the study of the galaxies in the early universe, the investigation of the creation of stars, the observation of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and surface of comets, planets and satellites, as well as examining the molecular chemistry of the universe.
ESA plans to answer questions like how did the Universe begin, how did it evolve to its present state, and how will it continue to evolve in the future with Planck. The Planck Mission will collect CMB radiation measurements using highly sensitive sensors that operate at very low temperatures. The measurements will be used to map the smallest variations of the CMB detected to date.
Read more about Herschel and Planck…
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