20 Years - Happy Birthday, Hubble!

20 years ago, on the 24 April 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope, a joint NASA-ESA mission. Its discoveries have resulted in, quite probably, the most significant advances in astronomy since Galileo's telescope.

It has provided the world's scientists with profound and unforeseen insights into the Universe, with hundreds of thousands of images of astounding beauty. The space telescope has greatly increased the publics curiosity and fascination for the mysteries of the Universe and our place in it.

Starry-eyed Hubble celebrates 20 years of awe and discovery

The most prolific space observatory will zoom past its 20-year milestone this weekend. On 24 April 1990, the Space Shuttle and its crew released the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope into Earth orbit. What followed is one of the most remarkable sagas of the space age.

Hubbles unprecedented capabilities have made it one of the most powerful science instruments ever conceived, and certainly the one most embraced by the public. Hubbles discoveries have revolutionised nearly all areas of astronomy, from planetary science to cosmology. And its pictures are unmistakably out of this world.

At times, Hubbles starry odyssey has played out like a space soap opera: with broken equipment, a bleary-eyed primary mirror and even a Space Shuttle rescue/repair mission cancellation. But the ingenuity and dedication of Hubble scientists, engineers and NASA and ESA astronauts have allowed the observatory to rebound time and time again. Its crisp vision continues to challenge scientists with exciting new surprises and to enthral the public with ever-more evocative colour images.

NASA, ESA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are celebrating Hubbles journey of exploration with a stunning new picture. Another exciting part of the anniversary will be the launch of the revamped European website for Hubble, spacetelescope.org. ESA will also be sponsoring the Hubble Pop Culture Contest that calls for fans to search for examples of the observatorys presence in everyday life.

To date, Hubble has looked at over 30 000 celestial targets and amassed over half a million pictures in its archive. The last heroic servicing mission by astronauts to Hubble in May 2009 made the telescope 100 times more powerful than when it was launched.

In addition to its irreplaceable scientific importance, Hubble brings cosmic wonders into millions of homes and schools every day. For the past 20 years the public have become co-explorers with this wondrous observatory.

• http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMP3VF098G_...