Photo: Hubble Telescope

NASA decides to add shuttle mission to service Hubble telescope

NASA announced on Tuesday that it will add a space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, according to NASA TV.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced the plans for a fifth servicing mission to Hubble during a meeting with agency employees at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Goddard is the agency center responsible for managing Hubble.

"We have conducted a detailed analysis of the performance and procedures necessary to carry out a successful Hubble repair mission over the course of the last three shuttle missions. What we have learned has convinced us that we are able to conduct a safe and effective servicing mission to Hubble," Griffin said.

"While there is an inherent risk in all spaceflight activities, the desire to preserve a truly international asset like the Hubble Space Telescope makes doing this mission the right course of action," he added.

The flight is tentatively targeted for launch during the spring to fall of 2008. Mission planners are working to determine the best location and vehicle in the manifest to support the needs of Hubble while minimizing impact to International Space Station assembly. ..
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