In this April 25, 1990, photograph taken by the crew of the STS-31 space shuttle mission, the Hubble Space Telescope is suspended above Shuttle Discovery’s cargo bay, some 332 nautical miles above Earth. The Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, controlled from the shuttle’s flight deck by crew members, held the huge telescope in this position during pre-deployment procedures, which included the extension of solar array panels and antennae.
STS-31 was the 10th launch of the shuttle Discovery. On board were Commander Loren J. Shriver, Pilot Charles F. Bolden, Jr., and Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley, Bruce McCandless II, and Kathryn D. Sullivan. To launch Hubble into an orbit that guaranteed longevity, Discovery soared to a record altitude of approximately 360 miles (600 km).
HUBBLE'S HIGHLIGHTS FROM ITS 34th YEAR IN ORBIT
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