National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Hubble Space Telescope – An Overview

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was the first diameter, collects an immense amount of

NASAfacts
astronomical observatory to be placed into light. Hubble can detect objects that are 10
orbit around Earth with the ability to record billion times fainter than the unaided eye
images in wavelengths of light spanning can see. High above the blurring effects
from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Launched of Earth’s atmosphere, Hubble also gets a
on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle much clearer view of the cosmos than do
Discovery, Hubble is currently located about telescopes located on the ground. The space
340 miles above Earth’s surface where it telescope can distinguish astronomical
completes 15 orbits per day—approximately objects with an angular diameter of a mere
one every 95 minutes. The satellite moves at 0.05 arcsecond—the equivalent to discerning
the speed of about 5 miles (8 km) per second, the width of a dime from a distance of 86
fast enough to travel across the United States miles. This resolution is about 10 times better
in about 10 minutes. than the best typically attained by even larger,
ground-based telescopes. High resolution
The Telescope enables Hubble to locate such objects as dust
Hubble is classified as a Cassegrain reflector, disks around stars or the glowing nuclei of
named after a 15th century French cleric who extremely distant galaxies.
was among the first to suggest this basic
optical design. Light hitting the telescope’s Also because it circles above the atmosphere,
main, or primary, mirror is reflected to Hubble can view astronomical objects
a smaller, secondary mirror suspended across a wider range of the electromagnetic
above the primary. The secondary, in turn, spectrum than ground-based telescopes,
reflects the light back through a hole in the which are limited by atmospheric absorption
primary where it enters Hubble’s instruments at various wavelengths. This gives
(cameras and spectrographs) for final focus astronomers using Hubble a fuller view into
before it hits their detectors. the energetic processes that create the
radiation seen and measured.
Hubble’s primary mirror is not only exquisitely
polished, but at 94.5 inches (2.4 m) in
Finally, Hubble’s observations are predictably Commands and data are transmitted between the
consistent. The telescope’s seeing conditions do spacecraft and the control center through two high-
not change from day to day or even orbit to orbit. gain antennas that communicate through NASA’s
Astronomers can revisit targets with the expectation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, which is
that they will be imaged at the same high quality each in geosynchronous orbit. The science data is then
time. This optical stability is critical for detecting tiny forwarded from the control center to the Space
motions or other small variations in celestial objects. Telescope Science Institute via a wide-area network for
Such is not the case for ground-based observatories, processing, dissemination, and archiving.
where observing conditions vary with weather and
directly affect the quality of the images acquired. NASA has conducted five astronaut-servicing missions
to repair and upgrade Hubble. These refurbishments,
The Spacecraft along with the redundancies originally designed into
Hubble is 43.5 feet long and 14 feet wide at the back, the observatory’s critical subsystems, should keep
where the scientific instruments are housed. Weighing Hubble running for years to come. Based on formal
about 27,000 pounds, the telescope is approximately the reliability studies, engineers believe that there is a high
same size and weight as a school bus. The observatory probability that Hubble’s instruments and primary
is powered by two solar arrays that convert sunlight into spacecraft subsystems (gyros, reaction wheels, solar
electrical energy, which is stored in six large batteries. arrays, batteries, etc.) will continue to operate until at
The batteries allow the observatory to operate during the least the year 2020. NASA’s goal is to operate Hubble
shadowed portions of Hubble’s orbit when Earth blocks concurrently with the James Webb Space Telescope, the
the satellite’s view of the Sun. agency’s new and most capable infrared observatory,
planned for launch in 2021.
In the middle of the spacecraft, near its center of gravity,
are four 100-pound reaction wheels used to reorient
the observatory. Based upon Sir Isaac Newton’s Third
Law of Motion—for every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction—turning a reaction wheel in one
direction causes Hubble to react by turning the opposite
way. The satellite knows where and when it should turn
based on a target schedule uploaded from the control
center. Hubble’s main computer then calculates which
wheels should slow and which ones spin faster to most
efficiently maneuver the spacecraft to the new target.

The observatory uses high-precision gyroscopes (gyros)

to detect its rate and direction of motion. Hubble’s typical
operating mode uses three gyros, but it has six from
which to choose. The others serve as backups, as gyros
eventually wear out and fail. Backup operating modes
also exist that enable Hubble to continue collecting
science data with only one gyro, if necessary, but with
slightly less efficiency.

In addition to gyros, Hubble has three Fine Guidance

Sensors (FGSs) that act within the spacecraft’s overall
pointing and control system to keep the telescope Astronauts F. Story Musgrave (anchored on the end of the Remote Manipulator
virtually motionless while observing. Hubble jitters less System arm) and Jeffrey A. Hoffman (bottom of frame) work on Hubble during
than 7 milliarcseconds in a 24-hour period when locked the first servicing mission in December 1993.
on its target. This is equivalent to shining a laser on a
dime 200 miles away for this period.
For more information, contact:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Claire Andreoli
Office of Communications
Goddard Space Flight Center
8800 Greenbelt Road
301-286-1940
Greenbelt, MD 20771 [email protected]

www.nasa.gov Or visit the Hubble website at:

www.nasa.gov/hubble
NASA Facts

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