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Shuttle Atlantis Snags Hubble

By the Associated Press

Posted May 13, 2009 12:52 PM CDT

(AP) – The Atlantis astronauts have captured the Hubble Space Telescope, grabbing the orbiting observatory early this afternoon for the first time since 2002. Astronaut Megan McArthur caught the school bus-sized telescope with the space shuttle's robot arm. The crew now faces five days of treacherous telescope repairs to the 19-year-old Hubble.

The repairs will be dangerous, because the Atlantis and Hubble are flying in a 350-mile-high orbit, which is littered with space junk. NASA has another shuttle on standby at its Florida launch site, ready to rush to the rescue if Atlantis is smacked by orbital debris and severely damaged. The shuttle was already hit by debris during its launch Monday, but NASA says the 21-inch stretch of nicks on the shuttle's thermal tiles is not serious.

The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off Monday May 11, 2009 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

This Feb. 19, 1997 file photo shows the Hubble Space Telescope following its release from the space shuttle Discovery. (AP Photo/NASA, File)

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts-off at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canveral, Fla, on Monday, May 11, 2009. (John Raoux)

White scuff marks are seen around the edge of the shuttle where the right wing joins the fuselage and the belly curves up to the top of Atlantis. ((AP Photo/NASA))

Thermal tiles on the shuttle Atlantis are seen, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. The shuttle astronauts found a stretch of small nicks in some tiles but NASA said the damage did not appear to be serious. ((AP Photo/NASA TV))

This image from NASA TV shows a photo survey of the thermal tiles on the shuttle Atlantis, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. ((AP Photo/NASA TV))

This image provided by NASA on Tuesday May 12, 2009 and annotated by source, shows debris from Atlantis' launch hitting the shuttle's right wing edge after launch on Monday May 11, 2009. ((AP Photo/NASA))

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

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MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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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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