The Hubble Telescope

Since the Hubble Space Telescope has been designed so that it can be regularly serviced, repairing all the minor errors were not as troublesome as I thought they'd be. I had plenty of time to note observations about this incredible telescope that has functioned superbly the Earth's benefit. The fixing process of the telescope wasn't as extensive and complicated as I imagined; the most important thing they did during the 5 hour repair session, was probably the replacement of the old corrective optics package with the updated and improved version. I thought I might do some extra research on the Hubble telescope because the multifunctional telescope really appealed to me. 

 The Hubble Space telescope is an artificial satellite that was launched into the earth’s orbit in 1990. An artificial satellite is a manufactured object that continuously orbits the earth or other celestial bodies in space. Artificial satellites are used to study the ships and airplanes, monitor crops and other important resources. They are also used to support military activities. Artificial satellites are sent out into space to orbit the moon, the sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and asteroids. Most of these satellites generally gather information about the bodies they orbit. Artificial satellites are classified according to their mission. There are six main types of artificial satellites:

        - Scientific research satellites study the body they orbit.

- Weather satellites assist in weather forecasts.

- Communication satellites allow us to make phone calls.

- Navigation satellites help cartographers create accurate maps.

- Earth observing satellites examine the earth to see if there is anything wrong.

- Military satellites used to plan strategies in wars.

  

        The earth’s atmosphere interferes with the operation of telescopes. That is why the Hubble Space telescope is positioned above the atmosphere and can therefore make observations that are impossible from the ground. The main functions of the Hubble Space telescope are:

Accuracy – The view from the Hubble telescope is more than ten times clearer than ground-based telescopes. Astronomers use it to observe distant objects.

Fine measurements – Hubble’s fine guidance sensors and its spectrographs are used to take precise measurements of different locations, motions and composition of distant objects.

Distant galaxies – Radiation from distant galaxies arrives at earth in the infrared spectrum. Hubble carries the required instruments to detect this radiation.

Detecting the Unseen – Hubble can view radiation that penetrates interstellar dusts, detect black holes; find signs of dark matter with high-resolution images.

Nature of Universe – The Hubble’s wide variety of observations supply key info on how the universe began and developed. For example, the Hubble speculated that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.

        Some of the uses of satellites are controversial because a lot of people feel that they are being imposed upon. They argue specifically against earth observing satellites because they feel that their personal and private lives are being violated. For example, in Google Maps or Google Earth, a couple may be spotted or an image of someone stealing may be captured. However, the project’s greatest controversy was the struggle to control the orbital operations of the telescope. Many people believed that NASA should have established an independent institute to manage the space telescope’s operations and data dissemination.

        Nonetheless, the artificial satellites were a major success in science and allowed us to gain so much more knowledge about our universe, and there is no doubt about that.