[Sci-tech-public] Rescuing Hubble: 20th Anniversary Symposium @ MIT Nov. 13

[David A Mindell]

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RESCUING HUBBLE

The MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department 2013 Lester D. Gardner Lecture/Symposium

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of STS 61, the first Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 2013 Lester D. Gardner Lecture will be “Rescuing Hubble,” a daylong symposium on Wednesday, November 13, 2013. Participants will include five of the STS 61 Shuttle Endeavour crew, the lead flight director, the chief training supervisor, the former head of NASA space flight operations, the optical engineers who developed the optical fixes for Hubble, astronomers involved with the HST repair, and NASA's lead servicing expert. In addition to discussions of the STS 61 mission specifics, the symposium will look at the future of robotic and human space servicing missions. The symposium will be held in MIT’s Bartos Theater (E15-070) and is open to the public.

Lester D. Gardner Lectures are made possible by a bequest of the late Major Lester D. Gardner to sponsor annual presentations on aerospace history.

The Hubble Space Telescope took longer from start to launch and cost more than any previous NASA spacecraft. Deployed in April 1990, its mission was to explore and answer some of astronomy’s most intriguing questions, including those of the origin and evolution of the universe. Yet within weeks of attaining orbit a stunning realization emerged: a manufacturing defect in the main mirror resulted in images of such poor quality the massive project was in danger of utter failure.

The landmark December 2-13, 1993 rescue mission, STS 61, was the most complex and challenging Space Shuttle mission that had ever been flown. Carrying out an unprecedented five space walks, the mission reversed Hubble’s fate, and in ensuing years the telescope has provided us with a stunning array of images and revelations about our universe more astounding than even the most imaginative astronomers, astrophysicists, and stargazers thought possible. In addition, the mission set the stage for future complex on-orbit extra-vehicular challenges including the construction and maintenance of the International Space Station.

Organizers: Jeff Hoffman, David Mindell, MIT Aero/Astro Dept.

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