STS-125

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  34933 / 09025A Launch date - time  11 May 2009 - 18:02 UT Launch site  KSC, LC-39A Launch vehicle  Space Shuttle (#126) Orbiter  Atlantis #30 Primary payload  HST-SM-04 Mass at launch  119824 kg Orbital parameters on May 13.91:    - Perigee / Apogee  563 x 567 km    - Inclination  28.48 deg    - Period  95.97 min Landing date - time  24 May 2009 - 15:39 UT Landing location  Edwards AFB, Runway 22 Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  12d 21h 38m Nbr orbits  197 Landing crew  same crew Mass at landing  102531 kg

Launch Crew

Summary:

• Seven person shuttle mission for the Hubble Space Telescope′s (1990-037B/20580) Servicing Mission-4.
• Shuttle orbiter has a body diameter of 5.5 metres, length 37.5 metres and a wingspan of 23.8 metres.
  This is the final shuttle mission planned for the servicing of the HST.
  
  

  Hubble servicing

  traditional in-flight photo

  
  
• Aug 2008: Preparations for launch of Atlantis to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope are advancing. External Tank ET-127 and solid boosters RSRM-103 (stack BI-135) are assembled in Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3. Orbiter 104 (Atlantis) is in Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1. Atlantis will carry the SLIC (Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier), with Wide Field Camera 3 , batteries and a radiator; the ORU Carrier with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and FGS-3R instruments; the FSS (Flight Support Structure) for berthing HST, and the MULE (Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment carrier, for support equipment).

• STS-125 cargo manifest
    ----------------------
  
    Name                             Bay location   Mass (kg,guess)
  
    Orbiter Docking System           1-2            1800
     with EMU 3006, 3004, 3015, 3017 suits           480?                  
    APC/SPDU                         3 port           17?
    SLIC /COPE with                  4-5            2990
      Wide Field Camera 3
    ORUC COS/RSU/FGS                 7-8            3339
      Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
      Fine Guidance Sensor, gyros
    GABA/MFR                         10P              50?
    GABA/PFR                         10S              50?
    HST-FSS/BAPS/SCM                 11             2177         
      Berthing and Positioning Sys
      Soft Capture Mechanism
    MULE                             12             1409
      RNS, NOBL blankets
    RMS 301                          Sill            410  
    OBSS                             Sill            382? 
   ------------------------------------------------------ 
                                     Cargo total   13104 kg
  
  
  

• Space Shuttle OV-104 Atlantis was launched from pad 39A on May 11, 2009. Beginning its rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope, Atlantis was initially placed in a 53 x 537 km x 28.5 deg orbit and then, after an OMS burn at 1845 UTC, into a 201 x 550 km orbit. HST is in a 562 x 568 km x 28.5 deg orbit and was grappled by the RMS arm on Atlantis at 17:14 UTC on May 13. The RMS berthed HST in the payload bay at 18:12 UTC.
• Five EVAs took place to both repair and replace faulty equipment and install new instrumentation.
  
  

  Hubble Telescope

  EVA Feustel

  
  
• First EVA by Grunsfeld and Feustel on May 14 (7h 20m) to replace a wide field camera. The airlock was depressurized at 12:48 UTC and Grunsfeld and Feustel opened the hatch at 12:51 UTC. The astronauts swapped WFPC2 for the new Wide Field Camera 3 and replaced the broken science data handling unit.
  
  

  EVA Massimino

  EVA Good

  
  
• The second spacewalk (7h 56m), by Massimino and Good on May 15, lasted from 12:47 UTC (depress) to 20:45 UTC (repress). Three Rate Sensing Units, each with two gyros, were installed, replacing older ones. Problems with one unit forced the astronauts to install a backup and caused the spacewalk to overrun, lasting almost 8 hours.
• On May 16's EVA-3 (6h 36m), Grunsfeld and Feustel replaced COSTAR with the COS spectrograph and fixed the ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys) camera, which has experienced power failures, causing two of the telescope's three observing channels to stop operating. Depress to 0.7 psi was at 13:31 UTC, hatch open at 13:34, closed at 20:05, and repress at 20:11 UTC.
• During EVA-4 (8h 02m) on May 17, Massimino and Good repaired and upgrated the STIS (Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph) instrument, which stopped working in 2004 due to power failures, and install a stainless steel blanket on Hubble's exterior. The blankets provide additional thermal protection for some equipment bays, replacing the isting multi-layer insulation that has degraded over time. There was no time left over for other tasks. Hatch open was 13:44 UTC about two minutes after depressurization; hatch closed at 21:39 UTC followed by repressurization at 21:47 UTC.
• Fifth and final EVA by Grunsfeld and Feustel on May 18 (7h 02m); it began with airlock depressurization at 12:17 UTC and hatch open at 12:20 UTC. After a battery replacement and replacement of one of the Fine Guidance Sensors, the astronauts buttoned up the telescope and cleaned up the payload bay. Grunsfeld became probably the last person to touch the telescope, after accidentally knocking into the spacecraft′s low gain antenna.
  
  

  Landing

  
  
• HST was released back into free flight on May 19 at 12:57 UT after the servicing was complete.
• The landing was delayed two days due of bad weather in Florida.
  The orbiter fired its OMS engines for de-orbit on May 24 at 14:24 UT and landed at Edwards Air Force Base at 15:39 UT.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel KSC. Credit: J. Vd Dr.

Landing cancel Edwards AFB. Credit: J. Vd Dr.