The space shuttle Atlantis launched this afternoon. Its mission is to repair the Hubble Space Telescope for the fifth and final time.
Hubble rocketed into orbit in 1990. Since then, it’s sent incredible images of the universe back to Earth. This mission should keep Hubble in working order until 2013, when the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched.
My dad was at Kennedy to see Atlantis launch on this mission. He works for NASA. He said it was a picture perfect launch! God’s speed to our astronauts! We look forward to having the Hubble working at its best and having you home safely.