Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble accommodates five science instruments at a given time, plus the Fine Guidance Sensors, which are mainly used for aiming the telescope but are occasionally used for scientific astrometry measurements. Early instruments were replaced with more advanced ones during the Shuttle servicing missions. COSTAR was a corrective optics device rather than a science instrument, but occupied one of the four axial instrument bays.

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS; 2002–present)

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS; 2009–present)

Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR; 1993–2009)

Faint Object Camera (FOC; 1990–2002)

Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS; 1990–1997)

Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS; 1990–present)

Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS/HRS; 1990–1997)

High Speed Photometer (HSP; 1990–1993)

Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS; 1997–present, hibernating since 2008)

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS; 1997–present (non-operative 2004–2009))

Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2; 1993–2009)

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3; 2009–present)

hubble

Hubble orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 340 miles (547 kilometers), inclined 28.5 degrees to the equator. This vantage point is above the negative effects of Earth’s atmosphere. Traveling at a speed of about 17,000 miles per hour (27,300 kilometers per hour), Hubble takes about 95 minutes to complete one orbit around Earth.

Hubble was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery (STS-31) on April 24, 1990. It was deployed into orbit the following day, April 25, 1990.

There are no natural color cameras aboard Hubble and there never have been. The optical cameras on board have all been digital CCD cameras, which take images as grayscale pixels but use colored filters to isolate different colors in each image.

Sometimes the color in the images is as natural as possible. However, the color given to the images is not just artistic embellishment. The images are, indeed, downloaded as black and white, and color is added for a number of different reasons — for example, to show the location of chemical elements and highlight features so subdued that the human eye cannot see them.

Hubble was serviced on-orbit five times by astronauts aboard the space shuttle. They rendezvoused with the telescope and placed it in the shuttle’s payload bay to complete the servicing. Below are the names and dates of the servicing missions:

Hubble is more scientifically productive today than at any time in its past, and NASA plans to operate Hubble at least well into this new decade. Hubble's longevity is partly due to its multiple servicing missions, the last one being in 2009. That is when astronauts installed a new device, the Soft Capture Mechanism, to allow a robotic spacecraft to attach itself to Hubble someday, once the telescope is at the end of its life, and guide its descent to Earth or boost it to a higher orbit.

Servicing Mission 1 (STS-61): December 1993

Servicing Mission 2 (STS-82): February 1997

Servicing Mission 3A (STS-103): December 1999

Servicing Mission 3B (STS-109): March 2002

Servicing Mission 4 (STS-125): May 2009

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3; 2009–present)

Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2; 1993–2009)

Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC; 1990–1993)

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS; 1997–present (non-operative 2004–2009))

Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS; 1997–present, hibernating since 2008)

High Speed Photometer (HSP; 1990–1993)

Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS/HRS; 1990–1997)

Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS; 1990–present)

Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS; 1990–1997)

Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR; 1993–2009)

Faint Object Camera (FOC; 1990–2002)

Wide Field and Planetary CameraWide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC; 1990–1993)

Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2; 1993–2009)

Wide Field Camera 3Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3; 2009–present)

High Speed PhotometerHigh Speed Photometer (HSP; 1990–1993)

Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object SpectrometerNear Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS; 1997–present, hibernating since 2008)

Space Telescope Imaging SpectrographSpace Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS; 1997–present (non-operative 2004–2009))

Advanced Camera for SurveysAdvanced Camera for Surveys (ACS; 2002–present)

Cosmic Origins SpectrographCosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS; 2009–present)

Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial ReplacementCorrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR; 1993–2009)

Faint Object CameraFaint Object Camera (FOC; 1990–2002)

Faint Object SpectrographFaint Object Spectrograph (FOS; 1990–1997)

Fine Guidance SensorFine Guidance Sensor (FGS; 1990–present)

Goddard High Resolution SpectrographGoddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS/HRS; 1990–1997)

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS; 2009–present)

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS; 2002–present)

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS; 2002–present)

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS; 2009–present)

Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR; 1993–2009)

Faint Object Camera (FOC; 1990–2002)

Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS; 1990–1997)

Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS; 1990–present)

Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS/HRS; 1990–1997)

High Speed Photometer (HSP; 1990–1993)

Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS; 1997–present, hibernating since 2008)

Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS; 1997–present (non-operative 2004–2009))

Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC; 1990–1993)

Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2; 1993–2009)

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3; 2009–present)