Tuesday, October 31, 2006

It's a GO!!!


NASA

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin today announced the decision to proceed with one more Shuttle servicing mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). I attended the announcement which brought a standing ovation from the crowd of Hubble NASA and contractor staff at the Goddard Spaceflight Center. The event also included a stem-winding speech in support of the decision by Senator Barbara Mikulski, who has vigorously supported the Hubble project on Capitol Hill. (Yes, even with my feisty red-state of mind, I could stand and applaud Babs on this subject.)

While planning and preparation for this mission has been underway for some time, having it formally placed on the Shuttle manifest and having a crew assigned (including three Hubble servicing veterans) will expedite the activities leading to the (no earlier than) May 2008 launch date.

My colleagues and I will have much to do over the next eighteen months or so, working on this exciting mission.

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