Shuttle Atlantis Visits Hubble Telescope

Up in its 350-mile orbit awaits the Hubble Space Telescope and Space Shuttle Atlantis will try to grab onto it over the Indian Ocean sometime today.

Of course, current news reports are concern over the space junk that hit the shuttle on lift-off.  So far, experts do not consider it to be serious. The nicks are shallow and are on the thick thermal tiles in a location that is not particulary vulnerable during reentry.

Starting on Thursday, the first of five space walks will take place to give Hubble its first tune-up in seven years.  The astronauts will have to replace the batteries, gyroscopes, cameras, and a old pointing mechanism.  Plus add new thermal covers on the telescope and add the new science data-control unit.

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Ref Breitbart.com May 13, 2009 by Marcia Dunn ( http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D985C4NG0&show_article=1).