(by bandito_design_co)

The Launch of the Hubble Telescope

Funded in the 1970s, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, launched in 1990 as one of the largest and most powerful space research tools ever conceived. The initial launch date was scheduled for 1983, but technical and budgetary issues, coupled with the Challenger disaster, delayed the launch by several years. A flawed mirror severely handicapped the telescope’s abilities, but was fixed after a simple servicing mission. Since then, the Hubble has had a profound impact on astronomy with discoveries such as determining the rate of expansion of the universe, as well as capturing images of new galaxies being both born and destroyed. Hubble is set to be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018.