STS-61

STS-61 was NASA's first mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, and it was the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission launched on December 2, 1993, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The main goal was to fix the telescope's vision, which was blurry because of a problem with its mirror. The crew installed a new main camera and a special set of parts to correct the vision.

The mission was very busy and one of the most complicated in the Shuttle's history. It lasted almost 11 days, and the crew members did five spacewalks, which was a record at that time. They also brought new instruments and solar power panels to the telescope. During the flight, one of the astronauts even spun a dreidel for Hanukkah for people watching on TV.

Crew

The STS-61 mission had a crew of astronauts who worked together to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. They went on spacewalks to make important repairs.

The astronauts took turns going outside the spacecraft. Two astronauts, Musgrave and Hoffman, went on three spacewalks together. Another pair, Thornton and Akers, also went on two spacewalks together. Each spacewalk lasted several hours, and they worked hard to fix the telescope so it could see better in space.

Mission highlights

Launch

The space shuttle Endeavour was moved to a different launch pad because of contamination after a windstorm. The crew arrived and prepared for launch, which was delayed due to weather. Finally, Endeavour launched on December 2, 1993. After launch, the astronauts checked the shuttle and prepared for the mission.

Flight Day 2

Endeavour moved closer to the Hubble Space Telescope, checking its systems and getting ready for the rendezvous.

Flight Day 3

Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman saw that one of Hubble’s solar arrays was bent. The crew continued moving closer to Hubble, and finally grabbed the telescope using the robot arm.

Spacewalk #1 (Flight Day 4)

Astronauts Story Musgrave and Jeffrey Hoffman began their spacewalk early. They replaced parts that help Hubble point correctly and prepared for the next spacewalks.

Spacewalk #2

Astronauts Thomas Akers and Kathryn Thornton replaced Hubble’s solar arrays. They removed the old, bent array and installed a new one.

Spacewalk #3 (Flight Day 6)

Astronauts Hoffman and Musgrave removed an old camera from Hubble and installed a new, improved camera that could see better, especially in ultraviolet light.

Spacewalk #4 (Flight Day 7)

Astronauts Thornton and Akers replaced a system that would correct mistakes in Hubble’s main mirror. They also upgraded Hubble’s computer.

Spacewalk #5 (Flight Day 8)

Astronauts Musgrave and Hoffman replaced parts of Hubble’s solar array system and did other maintenance tasks.

Release of Hubble and landing

After fixing Hubble, the crew released the telescope and landed Endeavour back at Kennedy Space Center on December 13, 1993.

The crew later appeared on a TV show to talk about their mission and show some of the tools they used.