HST SM4 Extended Resource Reel v2.0

  • Released Saturday, July 26, 2008

Instruments added during SM4 will greatly expand the scientific power of the Hubble Space Telescope, putting Hubble at the 'apex' of its capabilities, adding improvement factors of 10-70 times in certain key performance areas.

For more information please contact Goddard Space Flight Center Public Affairs Officers Susan Hendrix at 301-286-7745 or Ed Campion at 301-286-0697, http://www.nasa.gov

Find more information about the Hubble Space Telescope and Service Mission 4 at http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

For high resolution Hubble imagery go to http://hubblesite.org and http://www.stsci.edu

2. HST SM4 Carrier Location and Hardware Stowage in the Space Shuttle Atlantis Cargo Bay: A tour of the STS-125 Servicing Mission 4 carrier configuration in the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis.

3. HST SM4 Change-Out Animation: Animation shows the change out of instruments and hardware planned during the Hubble Servicing Mission 4. The instrument change out order in the animation order is as follows: 1.Battery replacement 2.Wide Field Planetary Camera replaced with new Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) 3.Rate Sensor Units replaced (contain 2 gyros each) 4.COSTAR instrument replaced with new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) 5.Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) repair (circuit boards replaced and new power box added) 6.Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph repair (cover removed, circuit board replaced, new main electronics box cover added) 7.Fine Guidance Sensor replaced 8.Soft Capture Mechanism added

4. HST SM4: SLIC Carrier Animation: The Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier, or SLIC, is slimmer, weighing only about half of conventional carriers, and stronger. With this new design, the Space Shuttle will be able to carry three times the payload, making room for additional scientific instruments and other components.

5. HST SM4: ORUC Carrier Animation: Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier (ORUC), will hold the new COS science instrument, new Fine Guidance Sensor, STIS and ACS repair tools and hardware, the new Rate Sensor Units (gyros), the IMAX camera and other crew aides and tools to be used during Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4.

7. Wide Field Camera 3 Science Animation (with labels and without labels): WFC3 is a new camera sensitive across a wide range of wavelengths (colors), from the ultraviolet through visible/optical light and into the near infrared. It will study a diverse range of object and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to more nearby stellar systems, to objects in our very own solar system. WFC3 will probe farther back in time than any prior Hubble camera and will trace the history of star formation and galaxy evolution.

8. Wide Field Camera 3 Science Animation: Redshift: Most astrophysical objects are not very bright in infrared. Stars and galaxies are too hot to emit much radiation here, but planets and other cool objects do. The near-infrared region is particularly interesting for cosmologists and astrophysicists studying some of the most distant and oldest objects in the universe, however. Although most objects radiate brightly at much lower wavelengths, extreme redshifting can move the lines from ultraviolet into the near-infrared.

9. Cosmic Origins Spectrograph Science Animation: "The Cosmic Web:" The COS is the most sensitive ultraviolet spectrograph ever flown on Hubble. The instrument will probe the cosmic web, the large-scale structure of the universe whose form is determined by the gravity of dark matter and is traced by the spatial distribution of galaxies and intergalactic gas.

10. NASA Administrator's HST Mission Announcement: NASA Administrator Dr. Michael Griffin announces the official approval for the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) on October 31, 2006. Concerns for crew safety following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster fueled an earlier decision to cancel this fourth and final servicing mission. This decision to go forward with Service Mission 4 is based on the success of shuttle flights, STS-114, STS-115 and STS-121, as well as engineering and safety risk analysis.

14. Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier (SLIC) Activities at Goddard: This new carrier made of composite materials weighs about 2 tons. It's light weight allows the shuttle to carry more payload for the SM4 mission. The stress test done at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center determines if the carrier can support the stresses of launch, re-entry and landing.

16. ACS Repair Crew Training at GSFC: Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) was responsible for many of Hubble's most impressive images of deep space. In January 2007, ACS experienced an electrical short that put two of its three cameras out of commission. ACS contains a trio of cameras: the wide field camera, the high-resolution camera, and the solar blind camera. Each performed a specific function.

17. SM4 Neutral Buoyancy Lab: Preparation and General B-roll: B-roll of Goddard Space Flight Center engineers working with astronauts at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. These runs help engineers develop and refine the crew aides and tools to be used during Servicing Mission 4.

18. SM4 Neutral Buoyancy Lab: STIS Repair B-roll: An attempt will be made to repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, which was installed in 1997 and stopped working in 2004. The instrument is used for high-resolution studies in visible and ultraviolet light of both nearby star systems and distant galaxies, providing information about the motions and chemical makeup of stars, planetary atmospheres, and other galaxies.

19. SM4 Neutral Buoyancy Lab: ACS Repair B-roll: An attempt will be made to repair the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) was responsible for many of Hubble's most impressive images of deep space. In January 2007, ACS experienced an electrical short that put two of its three cameras out of commission. ACS contains a trio of cameras: the wide field camera, the high-resolution camera, and the solar blind camera. Each performed a specific function. This sequence shows astronaut training in the NBL to repair the Advanced Camera for Surveys.

22. SM4 Neutral Buoyancy Lab B-roll: NOBLs: New Outer Blanket Layer (NOBL) installation B-roll. The NOBLs are stainless steel panels covered with a protective thermal coating. These panels fit over existing, degraded insulation on Hubble's exterior surface to control Hubble's internal temperature.

26. HST SM4: Rate Sensor Units (RSUs): Each Rate Sensor Unit (RSU) houses two gyroscopes. Astronauts will replace all three Rate Sensor Units on Hubble with new ones, thus complimenting Hubble with 6 brand new gyroscopes. The following sequence contains B-roll of astronauts training at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the replacement of the RSUs.

27. HST SM4: Fine Guidance Sensor B-roll: The following sequence contains b-roll of astronauts and engineers working with the refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) that will replace one currently on the Hubble Space Telescope.

28. HST SM4: Soft Capture Mechanism (SCM): The soft capture mechanism (SCM) will be attached to the bottom of the Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4. It provides a grapple fixture for a future mission needed to dispose of Hubble safely in the Pacific Ocean or lift it to a higher altitude allowing future generations to determine Hubble's ultimate fate. The SCM travels to orbit as part of the Flight Support System carrier that holds Hubble in the space shuttle's cargo bay during the servicing mission.

30: TOP HUBBLE SCIENCE STORIES: Dark Energy: Hubble played a key role in discovering that a mysterious form of energy called dark energy is acting like a cosmic gas pedal, accelerating the universe's expansion rate.

31: TOP HUBBLE SCIENCE STORIES: Hubble's Ultra Deep Field: This is Hubble's most recent foray into the farthest regions of the universe. Combining visible, ultraviolet, and near infrared light, the Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered 10,000 galaxies, some of which existed 400 to 800 million years after the Big Bang.

32. TOP HUBBLE SCIENCE STORIES: Monster Black Holes Are Everywhere Hubble has observed that black holes are everywhere, and they also have an intimate relationship with their host galaxies. Hubble observations reveal a tight relationship exists between the masses of the central black holes and those of the galactic

33. TOP HUBBLE SCIENCE STORIES: Gamma Ray Burst Source: Gamma ray bursts are extremely powerful, short bursts of light and radiation that may represent the most powerful explosions in the universe since the Big Bang. As part of an unprecedented coordination of observatories, Hubble watched the afterglow of the July 9th, 2005 gamma ray burst, helping astronomers solve the 35-year-old mystery of the cause of the bursts and that they signal the birth of a black hole.

35: HST Archival Film Highlights: Hubble in cleanroom, STS-31 crew arrival at KSC, HST in shuttle bay: Upconverted 16mm film B-roll of HST in cleanroom, and mission prep prior to STS-31 mission, circa 1990. NOTE: Approximately 5-hours of 16mm film related to Hubble missions is now available in high definition. Contact the Public Affairs Officers for more information.

36: HST Archival Film Highlights: STS-31 HST Deployment: Upconverted 16mm film B-roll of HST deployment during STS-31 mission, April 25, 1990. NOTE: Approximately 5-hours of 16mm film related to Hubble missions is now available in high definition. Contact the Public Affairs Officers for more information.

37. HST Archival Film Highlights: Servicing Mission 1 Highlights (SM1): Highlights from upconverted 16mm film B-roll of Servicing Mission 1 (SM1). Includes crew training, EVA highlights, HST deployment, MOCR activities and COR activities, Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) installation to counter effects of the flawed shape of the mirror; solar array jettison and more. NOTE: approximately 5-hours of 16mm film related to Hubble missions is now available in high definition. Contact the Public Affairs Officers for more information.

38: Servicing Mission 2 Highlights (SM2): Upconverted NTSC B-roll highlights from STS-82 Servicing Mission 2 (SM2), February 1997. This mission featured the installation of the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), and replacement hardware. No Audio

39. Servicing Mission 3A Highlights (SM3A): Upconverted NTSC B-roll highlights from STS-103 Servicing Mission 3A (SM3A), December 19, 1999. New, improved, or upgraded equipment included six gyroscopes, six battery voltage/temperature improvement kits, a more powerful main computer, next-generation solid state data recorder, new transmitter, enhanced fine guidance sensor, and new insulation panels. No Audio

40: Servicing Mission 3B Highlights (SM3B): Upconverted NTSC B-roll highlights from STS-109 Servicing Mission 3B (SM3B), March 1, 2002. During this second half of two servicing missions, astronauts installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys, or ACS, new solar arrays, new cooling system for the NICMOS instrument, and a new Power Control Unit that routes electricity throughout the spacecraft.



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Conceptual Image Lab, NASA/STScI, NASA

Release date

This page was originally published on Saturday, July 26, 2008.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM EDT.


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