Space Shuttle Atlantis Heads to Hubble Telescope

Image via Wikipedia

I have been watching the space shuttle live on NASA TV today and I still get very excited every time I watch the shuttle launch into space. As much as I love to watch my sci fi shows, I would be petrified to sit in that shuttle and launch into space and have to be eleven days in a very confined space. I do admire the courage those astronauts have as well as how smart they are! They make it look so easy but when I hear the pre-launch checks and all the details they take care of during the launch and while in orbit and the taks they must perform to fix Hubble, I am simply blown away at the complexity of it all. They must think of every scenario possible before, during, and after, launch of the shuttle. That is what pros do, however, they make an extremely difficult job, sport, or in this case, space travel, look easy. Fixing the Hubble telescope will be no easy job either and I cannot believe the telescope is 19 years old, it seems like they put it into orbit only yesterday! Where have all the years gone, yikes! That telescope has provided us with so many images that have been widely used in sci fi shows and movies and I hope it can continue to give us a unique view into to the universe.
I like to keep track of the mission at Space.com and NASA TV and you can read about the Hubble mission HERE.