Hubble space telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope as seen from the departing Space Shuttle Atlantis, flying Servicing Mission 4 (STS-125), the sixth and final Hubble mission
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| Mission type | Astronomy | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA · ESA · STScI | ||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1990-037B | ||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 20580 | ||||||||||||||
| Website |
nasa hubblesite spacetelescope |
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| Mission duration | Elapsed: 26 years, 10 months, 19 days | ||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer |
Lockheed (spacecraft) Perkin-Elmer (optics) |
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| Launch mass | 11,110 kg (24,490 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | 13.2 × 4.2 m (43.3 × 13.8 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Power | 2,800 watts | ||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||
| Launch date | April 24, 1990, 12:33:51 UTC | ||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31) | ||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B | ||||||||||||||
| Deployment date | April 25, 1990 | ||||||||||||||
| Entered service | May 20, 1990 | ||||||||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||||||||
| Decay date | estimated 2030–2040 | ||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||||||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||||||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 6,919 km (4,299 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.000283 | ||||||||||||||
| Perigee | 539 km (335 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Apogee | 543 km (337 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 28.47° | ||||||||||||||
| Period | 95.47 minutes | ||||||||||||||
| RAAN | 342.12° | ||||||||||||||
| Argument of perigee | 159.60° | ||||||||||||||
| Mean anomaly | 334.64° | ||||||||||||||
| Mean motion | 15.08 rev/day | ||||||||||||||
| Velocity | 7.59 km/s (4.72 mi/s) | ||||||||||||||
| Epoch | September 21, 2016, 13:51:39 UTC | ||||||||||||||
| Revolution no. | 24,968 | ||||||||||||||
| Main telescope | |||||||||||||||
| Type | Ritchey–Chrétien reflector | ||||||||||||||
| Diameter | 2.4 m (7.9 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Focal length | 57.6 m (189 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Focal ratio | f/24 | ||||||||||||||
| Collecting area | 4.5 m2 (48 sq ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Wavelengths | Near-infrared, visible light, ultraviolet | ||||||||||||||
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| Instruments | |
|---|---|
| NICMOS | Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer |
| ACS | Advanced Camera for Surveys |
| WFC3 | Wide Field Camera 3 |
| COS | Cosmic Origins Spectrograph |
| STIS | Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph |
| FGS | Fine Guidance Sensor |
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.
With a 2.4-meter (7.9 ft) mirror, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra. Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to take extremely high-resolution images, with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. Hubble has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images ever, allowing a deep view into space and time. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as accurately determining the rate of expansion of the universe.
The HST was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) selects Hubble's targets and processes the resulting data, while the Goddard Space Flight Center controls the spacecraft.
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