17 years ago today, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on the final and most daring mission to save Hubble (May 11, 2009)
by The_Rise_Daily
17 years ago today, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on the final and most daring mission to save Hubble (May 11, 2009)
by The_Rise_Daily
11 Comments
Seventeen years ago today, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on STS-125, the final mission to service Hubble. Over nearly 13 days, seven astronauts pulled off five back-to-back spacewalks totaling 36+ hours, installing two new instruments and, in a first, repairing two others never designed to be fixed in orbit. NASA had canceled the mission entirely after Columbia, only reversing course after intense pressure from the scientific community. Even then, the risk was huge. Unlike ISS missions, there was nowhere to shelter if Atlantis was damaged on ascent. So Endeavour sat fueled and ready on a second pad the entire time, prepped to launch a rescue if the worst happened. When Atlantis landed, Hubble was better than it had ever been, and it has been producing groundbreaking science ever since.
[STS-125 | Mission Overview](https://www.nasa.gov/mission/sts-125/)
[Hubble Overview](https://www.therisedaily.com/p/hubble-space-telescope)
[Cover Image Link](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/41339128924/in/photostream/)
Some of my favorite photos from the mission: [Photo 1](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahubble/28073127822/in/album-72157670398668456) | [Photo 2](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahubble/28162761461/in/album-72157670398668456) | [Photo 3](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahubble/28162761181/in/album-72157670398668456)
The last time two shuttles occupied both launchpads too.
I miss these days. … a lot.
Everyone talks about Apollo, but missions like this Atlantis show how insane the space shuttle program was. In-orbit maintenance.
I have always loved this picture. There’s just something so futuristic about seeing two shuttles one the pad ready to go. The STS program was the height of space flight for me. It’s great that private industry is doing it faster and cheaper, but it doesn’t look as cool to me.
I spent too long looking at this before I realized it wasn’t a gif
Anyone else stare at their screen for way too long only to realize it’s a picture and not a video of the liftoff?
I know the Shuttle had lots of flaws but man was it a special spacecraft. Everything about it was unique and cool. I was about 12 when I stayed home from school to watch the very first launch and landing. I followed the Shuttle program closely throughout my childhood, with all the ups and downs. Then as an adult I waited in downtown Sacramento with my DSLR to capture Endeavour making a low pass over the capitol on the back of the 747 en route to LA. I spent a lot of time watching videos and looking at images of the shuttle being transported through the streets of LA to the museum. How awesome was that? A few years later I visited the Shuttle at the museum in LA. Standing just feet away from it after all those years admiring it made my jaw drop.
This is absolutely incredible! 🐦🚀 STS-125 was truly one of the most daring missions in space history. The fact that they repaired instruments never designed to be fixed in orbit — and did it 5 times in 13 days — is mind-blowing. Endeavour sitting fueled and ready on standby the whole time shows just how serious the risk was. Thank you for sharing this amazing piece of space history!
I was gifted tickets to watch this launch. Roadtrip from Victoria BC was an excellent experience but this event is still probably the coolest thing I’ll ever see!
❤️❤️