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| A Unique test for Hubble's new Solar Arrays |
A World Class Test in a World Class Facility for a World Class Observatory.
In mid-October, a team from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA will perform
a difficult, never-before-done test on one of the Hubble Space Telescopes new solar array
panels. Two of these panels, or arrays, will be installed by astronauts in November 2001,
when the Space Shuttle Columbia visits Hubble on a routine service mission. The test will
ensure that the new arrays are solid and vibration free before they are installed on orbit. |
| Date: 19 Oct 2000 |
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| A Tantalising Veil [heic0006] |
| This delicate Hubble Space Telescope image shows a tiny portion of the Cygnus loop, a supernova remnant in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. Measurements on this super-detailed image of a cosmic veil shows that the original supernova explosion took place only 5000 years ago. |
| Date: 10 Oct 2000 |
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| Unveiling the nature of a dusty galaxy [heic0005] |
| The ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope has made the first detailed optical observations of an
example of a remarkable class of galaxies by using the additional magnifying power of a huge
galaxy cluster to extend its range. The galaxy, named J1/J2, belongs to a remote population of
galaxies. Although extremely luminous, the galaxies are obscured by enormous quantities of dust - the smoky residue of the life cycle of massive stars - and have so far only been seen by sub-millimetre telescopes. The Hubble observation has enabled astronomers to investigate the connection between this distant population of 'hidden' dust-enshrouded, intensely star-forming galaxies and the less dusty galaxies that are readily observed with optical telescopes.
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| Date: 06 Sep 2000 |
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| A stellar cocoon soon to hatch to a butterfly [heic0004] |
| Observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show a previously unknown richness of detail in the intriguing proto-planetary nebula CRL 618. CRL 618 is a superb example of the transition taking place in the later stages of the life of a star like the Sun after it has lost most of its mass and before it emerges as a fully-fledged butterfly-like planetary nebula. CRL 618 is evolving so rapidly that we can literally watch through Hubble's eyes the hatching of one of these heavenly butterflies from its dusty cocoon. This snapshot of cosmic evolution provides important clues for current theories of the origin and evolution of planetary nebulae. |
| Date: 31 Aug 2000 |
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| Hubble uncovers the first high-resolution details in a gamma-ray burst host galaxy [heic0003] |
| A group of European astronomers have obtained the first detailed images of a galaxy in which a gamma-ray burst has occurred. The image was taken with one of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's high-resolution cameras and reveals a barred spiral galaxy with numerous star-forming
regions. The gamma-ray burst has been located in one such actively star-forming region. This is a very important step forward in our understanding of gamma-ray bursts and their immediate surroundings and offers possible clues to their progenitors. |
| Date: 27 Jun 2000 |
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| Hubble, the black hole finder [heic0002] |
| New results by a group of European and American scientists
make it clear that the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is nothing less
than a true black hole finder.
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| Date: 05 Jun 2000 |
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| Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre Opens [heic0001] |
| For the Hubble Space Telescopes 10th anniversary on 27 April, ESA opens a new service. The Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre offers information about Hubble from a European perspective.
Not only has Hubbles first 10 years produced a rich harvest of scientific results, it has also touched the man in the street with its beautiful images of the sky. With this initiative ESA shows its commitment to public outreach and to the communication of science.
With an expected life time of 20 years, Hubble is now at the midpoint of its life. It has so far been one of the most successful scientific space missions, and the continuous maintenance and upgrade of the observatory through the Servicing Missions makes Hubbles next ten years appear even more promising
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| Date: 27 Apr 2000 |
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| PR 27-2000: HST's 10th anniversary: ESA and Hubble - changing our vision |
| To mark the Hubble Space Telescope's tenth anniversary, ESA is hosting a press conference at the Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF) in Munich on Thursday 27 April.
With the astronauts who took part in the most recent Servicing Mission (SM3A) in attendance, ESA is taking the opportunity to give a - first - complete overview of Europe's major contribution to the HST mission. It will also review the first ten years of operations and the outstanding results that have changed our vision of the cosmos. |
| Date: 17 Apr 2000 |
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| First Light for the ASTROVIRTEL Project |
| Astronomical data archives increasingly resemble virtual gold mines of information. A new project,
known as ASTROVIRTEL aims to exploit these astronomical treasure troves by allowing scientists
to use the archives as virtual telescopes. |
| Date: 12 Apr 2000 |
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| The Heliosphere is Tilted - implications for the 'Galactic weather forecast'? |
| Supersonic shock waves detected at the edge of the Solar System - a new study by European
scientists clarifies conditions at our Earth's outermost shield against interstellar charged particles. |
| Date: 13 Mar 2000 |
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| Hubble reopens eye on the Universe |
| The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, as made dramatically evident in stunning new celestial pictures of remote galaxies and a colourful dying star released today.
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| Date: 24 Jan 2000 |
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| Servicing Mission 3A Summary |
| After months of delays because of wiring defects, an engine swap and replacement of a crushed liquid hydrogen line, NASA launched Discovery into space on Hubble Servicing Mission 3A Monday 20 December at 01:50 CET.
The main objectives for the mission were to replace Hubble's faulty gyroscopes, and other equipment, such as the computer, a Fine Guidance Sensor, a radio transmitter and a Solid State Recorder.
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| Date: 14 Jan 2000 |
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| PR 56-1999: ESA's Hubble duo back on Earth after successful servicing mission |
| ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Jean-Frangois Clervoy and their five fellow crew members on the Space Shuttle Discovery returned to Earth today (28 December at 0001 UT) after a spectacular mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. |
| Date: 28 Dec 1999 |
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| PR 55-1999: European astronaut duo on their way to Hubble Space Telescope |
| The Space Shuttle Discovery made a perfect lift-off today carrying ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Jean-François Clervoy and five US astronauts into space. Lift-off from launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, occurred at 00:50 UT on Monday 20 December at the beginning of a 42-minute launch window. |
| Date: 20 Dec 1999 |
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| Hubble SM3A : Shuttle launch now set for 18 December |
| Launch of STS-103 (Hubble Servicing Mission 3A) is currently set for 18
December 2:47 Central European Time. |
| Date: 10 Dec 1999 |
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| PR 52-1999: European astronauts set for Hubble challenge |
| Two of the European Space Agency's most experienced astronauts are preparing to board the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the international crew to be launched on an end-of-the-year mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. |
| Date: 09 Dec 1999 |
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| Hubble Servicing Mission ESA Monitoring Centre |
| The essential events during Hubble Servicing Mission 3A (SM3A),
currently scheduled for launch Sunday 12 December, will be covered live
from the ESA Science web pages. Hourly reports during the most
interesting parts of the mission will appear in 'The Hubble Servicing
Mission ESA Monitoring Centre', as well as access to a chat forum where
the progress of the mission will be among the hot topics.
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| Date: 08 Dec 1999 |
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| INFO 20-1999: Hubble Space Telescope: The Telescope, the Observations & the Servicing Mission |
| The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a joint ESA/NASA project launched into a low-Earth orbit 600 km above the ground in 1990 by Space Shuttle mission STS-31. During its first nine years of operations HST has become one of the most important science projects ever. |
| Date: 25 Nov 1999 |
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| Hubble Space Telescope into safe hold as gyroscope fails |
| Just 24 days before its third Servicing Mission, the Hubble Space telescope has been placed into a safe mode, triggered by a failure in one of Hubble's last three working gyroscopes. |
| Date: 16 Nov 1999 |
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| The "Rotten Egg" nebula - a planetary nebula in the making |
| The object shown in these ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope images is a remarkable example of a star going through death throes just as it dramatically transforms itself from a normal red giant star into a planetary nebula. This process happens so quickly that it is quite rare to observe such objects, even though astronomers believe that most stars like the Sun will eventually go through such a phase. |
| Date: 19 Oct 1999 |
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