NASA Gives Atlantis Crew Go Ahead for Hubble Rescue

Oft-delayed mission set to launch tomorrow

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted May 10, 2009 12:10 PM CDT

(Newser) – NASA has declared space shuttle Atlantis' crew fit to fly, and weather permitting, the much-delayed 11-day mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope will take off tomorrow, reports Space.com. Endeavour is standing by just in case Atlantis itself needs rescuing. The mission includes five spacewalks and lots of tinkering with Hubble, in hopes of extending the 19-year-old satellite's life to 2014.

A wild pig grazes in the grass near the space shuttle Atlantis Saturday May 9, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

STS-125 Commander Scott Altman smiles at photographers as he arrives for a flight in the Shuttle Training Aircraft Saturday May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

In this March 31, 2009 file photo, space shuttle Atlantis sits on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Cosgrove, File)

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NASA Gives Atlantis Crew Go Ahead for Hubble Rescue

Oft-delayed mission set to launch tomorrow

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Oft-delayed mission set to launch tomorrow

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

NASA • astronauts • Kennedy Space Center • spacewalk • Cape Canaveral • Atlantis Space Shuttle • Hubble Space Telescope

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

NASA Puts Sale of Apollo 13 Checklist on Hold

Astronaut Lovell sold it for $388K, but he may not own it

World's Biggest Plane to Rocket People into Space

Paul Allen project might be ready for tests in 2016

NASA Puts Out Call for Astronauts

Though it'll be a looong time before you get into space

NASA's New Worry: Astronauts Going Blind

It could happen on a trip to Mars

NASA Clip Shows 9/11 From Space

Smoke rises from New York in ISS video

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Newser By Users

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What is Newser?