HST Mission Update

SM4 Scheduled for October 8

With the completion of the recent Shuttle mission to the ISS, Hubble Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) is now next in line. The planned launch date is October 8. The WFC3, COS, and other hardware elements to be taken to Hubble are in the last stages of testing at Goddard Space Flight Center, and will be shipped to KSC later this summer. The process of training all the staff at JSC, GSFC, and STScI who will participate in the mission is in full swing. This is done via day long simulations of each of the major mission activities, with a simulation team throwing in problems and glitches for the technical, management, and scientific staff to sort through and respond to. The detailed plan for commissioning new instruments, and re-commissioning repaired instruments, after SM4 is also well along.

WFC3 Packed for Shipping to KSC

The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) has been placed in it's shipping container in preparation for the journey to Kennedy Spaceflight Center next week. Once it arrives at KSC it will get a quick functional test and then be placed into the WSIPE, the container that will carry it to orbit in the Atlantis payload bay.

Cosmic Origins Spectrograph at KSC:

The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) has arrived at the Kennedy Spaceflight Center. The COS will undergo testing to verify there was no damage during shipping, and then will be readied for installation in the payload bay of Atlantis, the Orbiter that will be used for Servicing Mission 4.