FourthSpacewalk Concludes for Hubble Astronauts
17 May 2009 6:16 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good are back inside the shuttle Atlantisafter completing today?s arduous spacewalk repair on the Hubble Telescope?sSTIS spectrograph.
Clickhere for thefull story.
Thespacewalk lasted 8 hours, 2 minutes, the longest yet for Atlantis? crew.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersCheck Tools After Hubble Repair
17 May 2009 5:20 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good are performing some clean uptasks as they prepare to end today?s arduous repair job on the Hubble SpaceTelescope. They?ve closed Hubble?s access doors that allowed them to fix itsailing STIS spectrograph.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
RepairedHubble Spectrograph Powers Up
17 May 2009 4:57 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?As astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good cleaning up the tools the usedto repair Hubble?s ailing STIS spectrograph, a test by ground controllers hassuccessfully powered up the instrument in a so-called ?aliveness test.?Massimino has just reported seeing what appeared to be a small tear in the palmof his left spacesuit glove.
?I can seewhat looks like something white underneath,? Massiminosaid. Mission Control evaluated video of the tear and checked Massimino's suit pressure, which is fine. There's no needfor him to make an emergency run to the Atlantis airlock.
Clickhere for SPACE.com?supdated story.
MissionControl has decided that the already over-long spacewalk will not include amaintenance chore to install insulation on Hubble. That task will be moved to afinal spacewalk tomorrow.?
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersClean Up Hubble Repair Site
17 May 2009 4:40 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good are cleaning up their work siteinside the Hubble Space Telescope, where they replaced a power supply circuitboard inside the telescope?s STIS spectrograph.
Clickhere for SPACE.com?supdated story.
MissionControl has decided that the already over-long spacewalk will not include amaintenance chore to install insulation on Hubble. That task will be moved to afinal spacewalk tomorrow.?
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersReplace Hubble Circuit Board
17 May 2009 4:04 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good have removed the afflictedpower supply circuit board inside Hubble?s STIS spectrograph and installed itsreplacement.
Today?sspacewalk, which began at 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345 GMT) and was slated to run 6 1/2 hours has now passed the 6-hour mark.
Clickhere for SPACE.com?supdated story.
The nexttask is to install a new cover plate ? one that does not have 111 tiny screws ?to close out the spectrograph work site.
Afterstowing the cover plate in a container ? which is proving difficult ? they willreplace the faulty power supply circuit board in the STIS spectrograph.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersFinally Open Hubble Spectrograph
17 May 2009 3:30 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?After hours of work, spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good havefinally removed the cover plate from Hubble?s STIS spectrograph and are stowingit away for the return to Earth. They are hours behind schedule due to thestuck handrail bolt and dead power tool battery earlier.
Clickhere for SPACE.com?supdated story.
Afterstowing the cover plate in a container ? which is proving difficult ? they willreplace the faulty power supply circuit board in the STIS spectrograph.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersRemove Tiny Screws from Hubble
17 May 2009 3:15 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good have removed the 111 screws inthe cover plate blocking their way to the electronic insides of Hubble?s brokenSTIS spectrograph. He?s removing the stanchions latching it down now.
All of thework to present has been set up to gain access to a faulty power supply circuitboard inside STIS.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AfterFrustrating Delays, Spacewalks Tackle Hubble Repair
17 May 2009 2:20 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?After a series of frustrating delays, spacewalkers Michael Massimino andMichael Good can finally reach the STIS spectrograph work site. They had to ripa handrail off with brute strength, and then retrieve a spare power toolafter their first one failed.
Clickhere for SPACE.com?supdated story. Massimino is now removing a series of 111 tiny screws that formthe bulk of the 117 fasteners he will take out for today?s repair.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersHave Plan C for Stuck Hubble Bolt
17 May 2009 12:49 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?NASA has a new plan for spacewalker Michael Massimino: rip off the stuckhandrail bolt with brute force. It?s Plan C after more gentle attempts tounscrew the bolt didn?t work.
MissionControl told Massimino that he?d have to give the handrail a good pull to bendit and shear off the stuck bolt.
?I thinkyou?ve got that in you,? astronaut Andrew Feustel told the spacewalk.
?I cantry,? Massimino said.
Thehandrail is blocking Massimino?s access to a coverplate with 111 smaller screws ? he already removed a few others ? that he has to remove in order to reach the broken STISspectrograph today.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
HubbleScrew Stuck Fast, Spacewalkers Draw New Plan
17 May 2009 12:19 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?The stubborn handrail bolt that refuses to budgefor the spacewalker Michael Massimino appears to be stuck fast, andpossibly stripped. Massimino?s attempt to remove thescrew using a new bit failed to work.
?Houston,Plan B is not working, we?re looking forward to your suggestions,? astronaut AndrewFeustel radioed down from Atlantis.
?What?sPlan C?? Massimino asked. Mission Control has sent the spacewalker for moretools, these ones built to remove the handrail?s foundation, which should dothe trick.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersTackle Stubborn Hubble Screw
17 May 2009 11:55 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker Michael Massimino has hit a snag as he tries to remove a handrailfrom the exterior of the electronics box he is trying to access to fix Hubble?sSTIS spectrograph. One of four screws holding the handrail in place is notcoming out. Mission Control has suggested he try again with a new screwdriverbit.
?Do we havea plan if the new bit doesn?t work? Can we try keeping the handrail on orsomething?? Massimino asked.
MissionControl hopes the new bit will work. But engineers are studying other fixes.
?We?reworking on Plan C, I guess,? Mission Control told Massimino.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersBegin Hubble Spectrograph Fix
17 May 2009 11:26 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker Michael Massimino has begun the intricate fix that is the goal oftoday?s repairs at the Hubble Space Telescope. He is using acustom-made tools to begin an arduous process of removing a handrail,which required him to remove small screws and washers ? but make sure theydon?t float away into space or into Hubble?s delicate electronic guts.
?Nice work,Mass, really nice work,? astronaut Andrew Feustel called out as Massiminoprepared to remove the fasteners.
Clickhere for a look at today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
SpacewalkersReach Hubble Worksite for Repairs
17 May 2009 10:30 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Michael Massimino and Michael Good have reachedtheir worksite on the Hubble Space Telescope and opened its instrument baydoors. Good is riding the shuttle?s robotic arm, which is being driven byastronaut Megan McArthur inside Atlantis. Massimino is floating free.
Together,Massimino and Good will attempt to fix Hubble?s ailing STIS spectrograph, aversatile tool that has been broken since 2004. He must remove 117 tiny screws,make sure they don?t escape into space, and open up a panel door to reach theproblem: a broken power supply circuit board. It is work that was neverexpected to be performed in space.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
FourthSpacewalk Begins for Hubble Repair
17 May 2009 9:49 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Atlantis astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good have officially begun today?sspacewalk at the Hubble Space Telescope, as they switched their NASA-issuespacesuits to battery power at 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345GMT) while flying 350 miles (563 km) above central Australia.
?It looksdark out there,? Massimino said.
The outerhatch of the shuttle?s airlock is open. Their main task of the day is repairinga long-silent ? but extremely versatile ? spectrograph on Hubble.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AstronautsDepressurize Airlock for Hubble Spacewalk
17 May 2009 9:43 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Atlantis astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good are depressurizing the shuttleairlock in preparation for today?s spacewalk repair of the Hubble SpaceTelescope. They plan to fix the observatory?s crippled STIS spectrograph andperform other maintenance in the challenging fix.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AstronautsDouble-Check Spacewalkers Boot
17 May 2009 9:00 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Atlantis astronauts are running a bit behind schedule for today?sHubble work after double-checking a boot on spacewalker Michael Good?sspacesuit to make sure it fit properly. Good had told Mission Control lateSaturday that he experienced some pain during a Friday spacewalk.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s work in space.
Aftermaking some adjustments, the boot was properly fitted. Today?s spacewalk isless than hour from beginning, but is about a half hour behind schedule.
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AstronautsSuit Up for Spacewalk
17 May 2009 8:35 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Atlantis shuttle astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good are gearing upfor the fourth spacewalk of their mission at the Hubble Space Telescope, thisone aimed at resurrectinga dead spectrograph on the orbital observatory. The astronauts are in theshuttle?s airlock.
Today?sspacewalk is aimed at resurrecting Hubble?s dead STIS spectrograph and wasslated to begin at about 9:16 a.m. EDT (1316 GMT).
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AtlantisAstronauts Prepare for 4th Spacewalk
17 May 2009 6:53 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Atlantis shuttle astronauts are gearing up for their fourth spacewalk at theHubble Space Telescope, this one aimed at resurrectinga dead spectrograph on the orbital observatory.
MissionControl roused the astronauts at 5:31 a.m. EDT (0931 GMT) with the song ?NewYork State of Mind? by Billy Joel, a tune selected for astronaut MichaelMassimino, a dedicated New Yorker.
?It?s greatto hear that song by a fellow New Yorker Billy Joel and I know it?s coming frommy favorite New Yorker, my wife Caroline, the love of my life, I love you verymuch,? Massimino said as he thanked his wife and children. ?You?re in my heartand mind always and I can?t wait to see you in a few days.?
Today is FlightDay 7 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
NASA:Hubble Camera Fix Only Partial Success
17 May 2009 1:03 a.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?After a series of late-night tests, Hubble Space Telescope engineers havedetermined that the ambitiousspacewalk repair of the observatory?s Advanced Camera for Surveys met withonly partial success, with one of the instrument?s photo imaging channels nowlikely permanently offline.
Spacewalkersreplaced electronics cards in the camera on Saturday during anever-before-attempted repair to revive the ailing camera, which suffered anelectrical short in 2007 that shut down two of its three science channels. Thesurvey camera includes a solar blind channel sensitive to ultraviolet light, awide-field camera channel and a high-resolution camera channel.
DuringSaturday?s spacewalk, astronauts made repairs to the camera?s wide-fieldchannel in order to restore power to the system. Because of time-constraints,NASA opted not to attempt to replace similar cards in the high-resolutionchannel. Instead, engineers on Earth hoped to reroute power to that channelthrough its wide-field counterpart. But they discovered late Saturday that thatoption would not work.
?Theelectrical short that they suspected in that camera was actually upstream ofwhere the astronauts were working today,? NASA commentator Josh Byerly said onNASA TV. ?The repair did not work.?
Before the ambitious camera fix, Atlantis astronauts and Hubblescientists repeatedly stressed that never-before had such repairs beenattempted. Evenif the actual spacewalks went flawlessly, as Saturday?s did, there were noguarantees that the fixes would work, they added.
Byerly saidthat Hubble managers still consider the camera?s repair attempt a success. Ofall the science performed by the instrument, 95 percent of it is with thewide-field channel.
Clickhere for a lookat Saturday?s intricate spacewalk.
?- Tariq Malik
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
AstronautsComplete 3rd Hubble Spacewalk
16 May 2009 4:16 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Johns Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel have returned to the Atlantis?airlock and begun repressurizing it, officiallyending today?s spacewalk repairs of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Totalspacewalking time: 6 hours, 36 minutes. Just about right on time after twoprevious spacewalks that went long.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkersClean Up After Tough Job
16 May 2009 3:37 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Johns Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel are cleaning up their toolsafter their unprecedentedrepair of Hubble?s Advanced Camera for Surveys and installing a newspectrograph. Feustel is still on the shuttle?s arm while Grunsfeld stows someof the tools he used earlier to fix the broken camera.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkersFinish Hubble Camera Fix
16 May 2009 3:13 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers Johns Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel patched the new electronics boxthey installed in Hubble?s Advanced Camera for Surveys into a new power source,completing today?s repair job on the vital camera.
Engineerson Earth will try to power it up in a so-called ?aliveness test? within thenext hour or so. They are scrambling to catch up to the spacewalkers, whocompleted the unprecedented camera fix nearly an hour ahead of schedule.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerInstalls New Electronics in Hubble Camera
16 May 2009 2:44 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker John Grunsfeld has successfully installed a new set of electronicscards inside Hubble?s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The cards are packaged in asingle module, which he slipped into the slot where he removed four old cardsearlier.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerRemoves Hubble Camera Cards
16 May 2009 2:30 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker John Grunsfeld has successfully removed all four of the electronicscards from the Advanced Camera for Surveys.
?Card 4 isout. Woohoo!? he cheered as it came out. Hisspacewalking partner Andrew Feustel is perched on the shuttle Atlantis? roboticarm to retrieve more gear for today?s spacewalk repair.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerRemoves Hubble Camera?s Computer Cards
16 May 2009 2:19 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker John Grunsfeld is now removing the four computer cards inside theAdvanced Camera for Surveys. The repair is apparently going extremely well, withMission Control giving Atlantis astronauts the go ahead to complete the entirefix, rather than breaking it up into two spacewalks.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerRemoves Tiny Screws on Hubble
16 May 2009 2:05 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ? SpacewalkerJohn Grunsfeld has opened up Hubble?s broken camera and gained access to itsfour electronics cards, which he?ll replace during today?s spacewalk. Heremoved 32 tiny screws earlier, making sure none of them escaped. It wentsmoothly.
?Yay!? Grunsfeld cheered as the first screw came out. Theastronauts have compared their work to performing brain surgery in bulkygloves. ?Somehow, I don?t think brain surgeons go ?yahoo? when they pullsomething out.?
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerRemoves Tiny Screws on Hubble
16 May 2009 1:52 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalker John Grunsfeld is now remove 32 screws from a cover plate blockinghis access to the electronics cards inside Hubble?s stricken Advanced Camerafor Surveys. The screws are captured inside a specially designed enclosure.
Clickhere for a lookat today?s intricate spacewalk.
Today is FlightDay 6 of Atlantis? 11-day mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA isbroadcasting Atlantis? STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on NASA TV. Click herefor SPACE.com'sNASA TV feed or follow the NASA TV link at the upper left of thispage.
- Tariq Malik
SpacewalkerRemoves Grid From Hubble Camera
16 May 2009 1:35 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON ?Spacewalkers John Grunsfeld has removed a grid cover blocking his access t
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