Spacewalkers Wrap Up Tricky Hubble Job

(AP) - After 5 amazing days, spacewalking astronauts finished repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope today and shut the doors to the treasured observatory, which will never be touched by human hands again. NASA said the revived telescope will be better than ever thanks to the astronauts' efforts and should provide even more dazzling views of the universe for another 5 to 10 years. More»

Telescope to go where no one has gone before, never return

(AP) - Atlantis' astronauts gingerly dropped the Hubble Space Telescope overboard today, sending the restored observatory off on a new voyage of discovery and bidding it farewell on behalf of the planet, reports the AP. The shuttle and telescope had just crossed the Atlantic, and were soaring 350 miles above the coast of northwestern Africa, when astronaut Megan McArthur used a robot arm to release the snares gripping Hubble. Then the shuttle slowly backed away. More»

The final mission to repair the telescope will finish Tuesday

(AP) - Spacewalking astronauts ventured out today to finish repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, never to be touched by human hands again. It was the fifth and final spacewalk for the crew of the shuttle Atlantis, and the final planned visit by astronauts, ever, to Hubble. The astronauts outfitted Hubble with two state-of-the-art science instruments totaling $220 million that should allow the telescope to peer as far back as 13 billion years. More»

Spacewalk becomes sixth longest in history

(NEWSER) - Yesterday was a frustratingly long day in space as Atlantis astronauts struggled to fix a long-broken spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. They ultimately succeeded, but a stuck bolt and dead battery prolonged the spacewalk to 8 hours—making it the sixth longest in history, Space.com reports. Astronauts also ran out of time to insulate Hubble, but may attempt to do so on today's fifth and final spacewalk. More»

(AP) - Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing a new high-tech instrument today, then pulled off their toughest job yet: fixing a broken camera. It was the third spacewalk in as many days for the shuttle Atlantis crew, and it was the most intricate ever performed because of the unprecedented camera repairs. More»