Astronauts Say Goodbye To Hubble For Good

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The Hubble Space Telescope is better
than new and now flying on its own again.
Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts tenderly dropped the
observatory back into orbit Tuesday morning after working on it for
nearly a week. They performed five spacewalks to install two new
science instruments, fix two broken ones, and add fresh batteries
and other equipment.
NASA says the extraordinary handyman mission fixed the
19-year-old Hubble. It should last another five to 10 years and
unlock even more mysteries of the cosmos.
There will be no more repair missions to Hubble. Sometime after
2020, NASA will send a robotic craft to steer the telescope into a
watery grave.
The astronauts will now inspect their ship before heading home
Friday.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)