Hubble Servicing Mission 4 Blog

I just interviewed astronaut Richard “Rick” M. Linnehan who flew on the last HST servicing mission, SM3B. What a cool guy!

Linnehan has six EVAs  (Extravehicular Activities – better known as spacewalks) under his belt, including some for STS-109 for SM3B.  He knows, firsthand, how complex these activities are.

Colleen: The astronauts’ job for SM4 is quite complex.

Linnehan: Yes, but leave it to Goddard (Goddard Space Flight Center) and Ball Aerospace and the Hubble team to come up with the right solution – in this case the capture plates. In my opinion they are the most practical, crack team that NASA has. You can always do more than you think you can.  I actually did the preliminary underwater testing for SM4.

Astronaut Rick Linnehan

Colleen: What about Hubble?  You’ve been there and helped repair it.

Linnehan: Hubble is NASA’s crown jewel. It’s probably the most important telescope of our time. When people look back at history, Hubble and the advancements in astronomy it’s given us will be remembered.

Colleen: What are the astronauts feeling right now?

Linnehan: Well, there’s some trepidation but these folks have trained and trained and trained. They are prepared and they want to get going and to do the best job they can. When preparing for a mission, you live, breath and sleep it – you even dream about it. They’re not going to be anymore proficient than they are at this moment. At the same time, they are human and they have emotions.  They all have families and they enter this knowing there’s a risk but hoping for the best.

It is noon (18:00 CEST) at Kennedy Space Center and the astronauts are being strapped into Atlantis.  The press office is bustling with activity and excitement!

As is customary in Cocoa Beach, several businesses have posted messages of support on their signs:

Cocoa Beach businesses wish Hubble well

And, here’s the star of the show, Hubble Space Telescope (at least a model at the KSC press site):

A model of the Hubble Space Telescope decorates the KSC press site.

It’s been a long day!  I’ve been up for almost 24 hours but I made it safely to the U.S.  It’s 21:30 in Cocoa Beach, Florida and it’s muggy and about 25 degrees (Celsius).  Tomorrow’s weather calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 32 degrees (Celsius) and NASA’s Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters says there is a 90 percent chance that Atlantis will launch at its scheduled hour tomorrow.  Read more about the launch in today’s NASA update.  My sunscreen, sun hat and laptop are packed and I’m ready to capture all the action live from Kennedy Space Center.  I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

It’s late Friday afternoon in Garching, Germany and I’m making all final arrangements for my trip to the U.S. for the launch of Atlantis, carrying the STS-125 crew to Hubble for its last servicing mission (SM4).  The weather forecast for Cape Canaveral, Florida for Monday calls for 31 degrees (Celsius) and partly cloudy skies.  Let’s hope Mother Nature cooperates!  Kennedy Space Center will be filled with media and VIP guests - I’m told the Causeway will be full.  The Causeway is the area between the military base (Cape Canaveral) and Kennedy Space Center.  Bleachers are set up there (at a safe distance from the launch pad) for visitors to enjoy the launch.  It’s kind of like sitting in the stands for a football game but the only player is the Space Shuttle Atlantis with its precious cargo heading for Hubble.

Causeway at Kennedy Space Center