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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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-The cosmos.

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When ancient astronomers

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made up folktales
about the stars and the planets,

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they were trying to
explain its mysteries.

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Though the mysteries
they pondered were great,

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what the early astronomers
could see of the universe

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was quite small.

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With the unaided eye,
they could see only the sun,

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the moon,
five of the nine planets,

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some comets,
and a few stars.

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In the early 1600s,
an astronomer named Galileo,

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armed with insatiable curiosity
and a rudimentary telescope,

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opened the heavens to
greater scientific examination

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than ever before.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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Today,
some 400 years later,

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scientists know the universe
to be immense --

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so large that they have
had to devise new numbers

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and new words
to describe it.

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Ancient folktales gave way
to modern scientific theories

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put forward by creative and
brilliant scientific thinkers.

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These theories also try
to explain the universe.

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While folktales were accepted
on the authority of the teller,

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today, scientific theories
must be proven.

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Astronomers and astrophysicists
use telescopes

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to observe the heavens in their
continuing search for proof.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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Unfortunately, Earthbound
telescopes, from Galileo's

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simple instrument to modern
mountaintop observatories,

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are all hampered by the Earth's
turbulent atmosphere.

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The best place for an
observatory is in the heavens.

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Now, the space shuttle,
created by NASA --

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America's Space Agency --

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has the ability
to put one there.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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That device is called
the Hubble Space Telescope.

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With an unobstructed view
of the universe

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from its orbit some 550
kilometers above the Earth,

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the Hubble Space Telescope
will be the fulfillment

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of an astronomer's dream.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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The space telescope will see
objects some 25 times fainter

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than can be seen using
the largest telescope on Earth.

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It will distinguish details
10 to 30 times more clearly

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than is possible
from the ground.

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The new observatory
in space

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will produce images
on unprecedented clarity --

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images made possible not only
because the telescope

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will be free of the Earth's
distorting atmosphere,

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but also because it is
the finest optical telescope

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ever built.

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The space
telescope's mirrors

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are the most perfect
of their size ever created.

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Optical scientists
labored long and hard

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to make virtually perfect
mirrors for the new telescope --

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mirrors that will take advantage
of the clear conditions of space

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and not add distortion.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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But the mirrors are only
part of the picture.

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To make the most
of the mirrors,

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the space telescope must
keep them precisely aligned

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and hold them absolutely steady
for hours at a time.

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So, the mirrors
are mounted in a strong,

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but lightweight,
framework

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made out of
graphite epoxy.

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This construction will hold
the telescope's optics stable

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as it orbits the Earth
once every 96 minutes,

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moving from the blazing warmth
of daylight sun

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to the icy chill
of night in space.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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Still, stable optics are useless
if the entire telescope jitters.

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On Earth, astronomers use
the bedrock of a mountaintop

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to steady a telescope.

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But what will steady
a telescope in zero gravity?

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The space telescope will use
a sophisticated alignment system

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to locate a target
and hold steady on it,

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even though the telescope
is constantly moving

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as it orbits the Earth.

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Gyros provide a reference
so that let the telescope

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always knows
its orientation.

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Star trackers and fine guidance
sensors hook onto guide stars

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and use them to point
the telescope at a target.

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With this system,
the space telescope

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can remain locked on target
for hours at a time.

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The entire system
is extremely precise --

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so precise that it's like being
able to hold steady on a coin

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suspended over
the Washington Monument

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in Washington, D.C.

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from the top of New York's
World Trade Center

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320 kilometers away.

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The light collected
and focused

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by the telescope's
precision optics

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is shared by several
scientific instruments.

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It begins with its use
of vast wave detectors

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and sophisticated electronics
to measure and record light

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or separate it into
its different components

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for analysis.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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All the instruments are mounted
so that they can be

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easily changed in orbit,

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either for replacement
or repair.

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Underwater
cleaning exercises

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prove the feasibility of repair
and replacement procedures.

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The telescope's
instruments and systems

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will get their power
from the sun.

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The Hubble Space Telescope
project engineer

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is Dr. Jean Oliver.

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-The Hubble Space Telescope
is the most fantastic telescope

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ever built.

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It's not just good.
It's the best.

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It took the combined efforts
of hundreds of scientists,

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engineers, and other
professional people

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working as a team for many years
to make it the best.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!

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-Once launched
in the early 1990s,

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this precise
scientific instrument

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will give astronomers
a clearer view deeper into space

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than they have ever
seen before.

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!!musiC@!!!musiC@!