Astronauts, Robots and the History of Fixing and Building Things in Space
A 30th birthday is a big milestone for anyone, and a spacecraft is no exception. Tomorrow, the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 30th year in space, but it didn’t get to this point without having to overcome its fair share of challenges. Over the years, it has not only been fixed, but continuously upgraded to make it the discovery-producing machine that it is today.
Servicing (refueling, fixing and upgrading) spacecraft helps make spaceflight more sustainable, affordable and resilient. In honor of Hubble’s exciting milestone, here’s a look back at how human and robotic satellite servicing became a reality and a glimpse at where we’re headed.
