WEEKLY NEWS 1: Hubble Space Telescope Under Repair

Astronauts and scientists have used the Hubble Space Telescope for years. This past week it needed some repair in order for the space observatory's life to be extended. The repairs performed to the Hubble Space Telescope were so extensive that they are being called an electronic heart transplant. So far it looks as if the repairs were a success, but there are no guarantees.

On March 6, 2002, two spacewalking astronauts performed this "electronic heart transplant" 360 miles up in the air. The spacewalk began two hours late at 3:28 a.m. EST. The walk started late because of a cooling water leak in astronaut John Grunsfeld's spacesuit. After the spacesuit repair, Grunsfeld and Richard Linnehan floated into space and began the job of one of the most complex orbital repair jobs ever attempted.

The $2 billion telescope had to be shut down before the repairs could begin. The 120-pound black box was disconnected for the first time since its launch in 1990.

One the telescope was disconnected; the two astronauts began the repairs. There was a mid-afternoon deadline to get the repairs completed to restore power - and heat -- to the space telescope. They met the deadline and restored the power in time.

One problem that will now exist for NASA is that no one can predict whether the situation will get worse despite the successful repairs. Even if the situation does not get worse, the "glitch" suffered here has reduced the amount of power available to operate Hubble's instruments. Only time will tell what is going to happen. Click here to tell us what you think about this story!

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