Photos: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions

Hubble's Final Fix-It Flight Almost Never Was

Astronauts Steven Smith, and John Grunsfeld, appear as small figures in this wide scene photographed during an STS-103 extravehicular activity (EVA) to service the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1999.

Hubble Hugger Eager to Fix 'Mind-Blowing' Telescope

Astronaut John Grunsfeld stand on a foot restraint and prepares to replace a radio transmitter on the Hubble Space Telescope during one of his many trips to the orbiting observatory.

Mission to Hubble: STS-125

The last space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope was the STS-125 mission aboard Atlantis. The mission launched on May 11, 2009 and returned to Earth on May 24. it marked the fifth and final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Fixing Hubble: Space Mechanics Set for Last Service Call

The STS-125 crew gets ready to attach their mission logo to the entrance into space shuttle Atlantis. Clockwise from left front are: Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, mission specialists Michael Good and Megan McArthur, commander Scott Altman, and mission specialists Mike Massimino and John Grunsfeld.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope During Servicing Mission 4

This image was taken from the Space Shuttle Atlantis just after the Hubble Space Telescope was intercepted by the Shuttle’s robotic arm during Servicing Mission 4. Image released May 24, 2009.

Icon in Space

The Hubble Space Telescope got one last overhaul in May 2009 by NASA astronauts on the space shuttle Atlantis and has been sending home stunning new photos ever since. Seen here, the iconic space telescope orbits high above the Earth, after it was released at the close of the STS-125 servicing mission to once more gaze deep into the universe.

Astronauts Take Time Off After Fixing Hubble

Astronauts Megan McArthur, Mike Massimino (center) and Andrew Feustel, all STS-125 mission specialists, prepare to eat a meal on the middeck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis on May 12, 2009 during while en route to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Farewell Hubble, We'll Miss You

An STS-125 astronaut aboard shuttle Atlantis captured this still image of the Hubble Space Telescope as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation on May 19, 2009.

Astronauts Have Trouble Upgrading Hubble Telescope

Astronaut Michael Good works with the Hubble Space Telescope in the cargo bay of the shuttle Atlantis. Crewmate Mike Massimino appears in the bottom frame during the second spacewalk of their May 2009 STS-125 mission.

Astronauts to Say Goodbye to Hubble Telescope

A wide view of the Hubble Space Telescope, locked down in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis on May 13, 2009 during the STS-125 mission - NASA's last ever service call to the space observatory.