Hubble Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope

A major accomplishment in 1990 was the Hubble Space Telescope created by NASA. If you have ever visited Kennedy Space center or another space center in America, you can find information and see replicas of this famous telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope brought us information we would have never found on our own and allowed NASA to excel in new fields.

Hubble was launched on April 24th, 1990 from Kennedy Space Center and is still in space twenty-six years later sending NASA images of new discoveries it takes pictures of. Throughout the time, Hubble has been in space it has sent NASA thousands of images of new stars living and dead, new planets forming, and the discovery of possible water on Europa. NASA shares, “Hubble, the observatory, is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe. Scientists have used Hubble to observe the most distant stars and galaxies as well as the planets in our solar system.” (“Hubble Space”) Hubble makes is possible for NASA to excel while in space because it sends the images taking back to the headquarters instead of sending astronauts into space for years and then reviewing the information they collected. Hubble makes this process much easier for NASA to discover new findings that were not possible without the telescope.

The images Hubble is able to take and send back to the NASA headquarters gives researchers the chance to make discoveries that they never thought to be possible. For example, the discovery of possible water on Europa. When the images were sent out to the public everyone was discussing what this could mean for us here on Earth. “Today's results increase our confidence that water and other materials from Europa's ocean — Europa's hidden ocean, hidden under miles of ice — might be on the surface of Europa and available for us to study, without landing and digging through those unknown miles of ice," said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (“On Jupiter's Moon”) Since then NASA scientists have sent the Hubble Space Telescope on a mission to find more images of this water on Europa and possible water on other planets as well. These discovers have provided a chance for NASA to excel ahead of other countries allowing America to be the first to discover new findings in space that were unknown previously.

National Geographic shares, “The Hubble Space Telescope was designed to free astronomers of a limitation that has plagued them since the days of Galileo—Earth's atmosphere. Shifting air pockets in the atmosphere block and distort light, limiting the view from even the most powerful Earth-bound instruments.” (“Hubble Story”) Because of the limitations telescopes on the Earth’s ground had NASA scientists created the Hubble Space Telescope. When this scope first launched, they were unaware of discoveries that would later be made. Because of the Hubble Space Telescope scientists are now able to capture images of ancient planets, new forming planets, living and dead stars along with its biggest discovery of finding possible water on Europa. These images get sent down to a headquarters where scientists research them and after discovery they are released for the rest of the world to see. The Hubble Space Telescope has allowed America and its science program to become more advanced than any other in the world. With the Hubble, we can see 357.14 times farther than the naked eye. (“Hubble Space”) Without Hubble we would still be creating a telescope that would allow us the see images like the Hubble Space Telescope does but instead here from Earth.

As old and wonderful as this space scope is its time is coming to an end. After twenty-six years in space this large scope has completed the impossible and will remain recognized for its works and discoveries made while NASA is in process of creating a new space telescope to replace its spot when the Hubble Space Telescope retires.

Works Cited

"Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Information, Space Telescope Facts, News, Photos --"

National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

<http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/space-exploration/hubble/>.

"On Jupiter's Moon Europa, More Tantalizing Signs of Giant Water Plumes." Space.com. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

<http://www.space.com/34196-jupiter-moon-europa-giant-water-plumes.html>.

NASA, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/story/index.html>.