Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope, costing about $1.5 Billion US, was launched on April 24, 1990 as the world’s first general-purpose observatory. The telescope, though not the first orbiting observatory (Cosmos 215 USSR), is able to make observation in not only the visible light spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet), but also the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Visible light, which is able to be seen, has a frequency of between 1014 and 1015 Hertz; where as the ultraviolet frequency is just above that with a range from approximately 1015 to 1017. Electromagnetic waves have both an electrical and a magnetic component, and are produced by the acceleration of an electric charge.

The orbiting telescope when projected into orbit had five detectors: the Wide-Field Planetary Camera, the Faint Object Camera, the Faint Object Spectrograph, the High-Resolution Spectrograph, and the High Speed Photometer. These detectors aided in the study of spectra, or Spectroscopy by providing high resolution images and data. These studies states that each chemical element has its own characteristic spectrum, and by incorporating this into the telescope these spectra were able to be detected from around the Milky Way galaxy, but also of the universe. To greatly aid in the study of the universe the telescope was equipped with three very precise guidance censors, which helped to gain knowledge of the universe, measurements of distances of the earth from other stars were able to be recorded with much more accuracy than on the earth’s surface.

After the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists realized that the primary mirror of the telescope had a systematic aberration, meaning that all images that were taken were blurred, a defect in the focus of the telescope. Three years after the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, in December 1933, the high speed photometer was sacrificed as the, Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement was added to the telescope to correct the focus defect providing more images. To prevent any further focus defect the Wide-Field Planetary Camera was removed, and replaced with an additional camera, one which would be able to self correct any malfunctions with the focus on the primary lens.

After the procedure to fix the primary mirror in the telescope, in 1994, it was announced that with the aid of the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists had proved the existence of the first known black hole. The telescope was able to obtain detailed views of the planets of the Milky Way Galaxy, in particular of Jupiter, just after many fragments of a passing comet, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, hit the planet. These images provided enough information for scientists to use spectral analysis to discover and understand the atmosphere of the planet, as the elements which as previously explained have their own unique spectra were observed.

As newer technology surfaced, the High-Resolution Spectrograph and Faint object Spectrometer, which helped scientists in the study of Spectroscopy (previously explained), was replaced with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (1997). Technology at this time enabled the telescope to record data from the visual light spectrum and the ultraviolet spectrum (higher Frequency than the visual light), but the Hubble Space Telescope was equipped with a new infrared telescope, allowing scientists to analyze wavelengths lower than that of the visual light spectrum around the universe.

The Hubble space telescope has been a direct reason for the enormous growth of the knowledge of the universe, not only proving the existence of black holes, and finding distant galaxies; the Hubble Space Telescope was the only telescope able to record images of a planet outside of our own solar system.

As the Telescope ages, missions to maintain it are periodically undertaken. The main reason for the maintenance is because of the gyroscopes on the telescope. Gyroscopes keep the telescope stable and also help point it to images, to be useful the telescope must have at least three gyroscopes functioning. At the present time (2004) there two gyroscopes broken down, three that are functioning, and one in standby mode to aid if any more break down. Because of safety concerns, the 2006 mission to replace and maintain parts of the telescope has been cancelled. The Hubble Space Telescope will not be repaired and thus will slowly begin to loose all of its gyroscopes, rendering the telescope useless. The priceless information through collecting images and other data from around the universe will cease approximately in the year 2010.