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Just about everyone has seen and 
been amazed by the Hubble Space  

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Telescope’s incredible images of our Universe.

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From Star-Forming Nebula and Gigantic Galaxies,  

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to the beautiful planets in our solar system, 
For over 30 years Hubble has been re-writing  

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the textbooks as it continues to expand 
our own understanding of the universe.

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But operating a telescope in space 
isn’t an easy task. As Hubble orbits  

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the Earth once every 90 minutes, 
it’s not exactly as simple as just  

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spinning the telescope around and 
telling it to take a quick picture.

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And that’s where the STOCC comes in!

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Dedicated on February 14th 1984 at NASA Goddard’s 
Space Flight Center, the STOCC, or the Space  

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Telescope Operations Control Center, operates the 
Hubble Space Telescope on its scientific journey.

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Built in the early 1980s, this historic location  

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was one of the most complex satellite 
control centers ever developed. The  

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engineers and scientists working 
at the STOCC maintain the health,  

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safety, and performance of the telescope as it 
speeds around Earth at 17,500 miles per hour.

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Crewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the team 
at the STOCC evolved with changes to computing  

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technology. In 1999, Goddard upgraded the STOCC’s 
computers from minicomputers to workstations.

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And in 2011, the STOCC utilized smartphone 
technology and automated processes,  

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relieving the need for 24/7 staffing.

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While the STOCC has undergone 
many changes over the years,  

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one thing remains the same: The team's 
commitment to the Hubble Space Telescope.

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The women and men of the mission operations 
team have been constantly in pursuit of  

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finding ingenious ways to prolong Hubble’s 
life to maximize its scientific return.

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Today, the mission operations team members at 
the STOCC continue to operate the telescope,  

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capturing data and images of the 
cosmos for all of us to enjoy,  

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and enabling Hubble to continue 
its mission of unraveling.

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the mysteries of the universe.

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"Follow us on social media @NASAHubble"