This set of patches was made by AB Emblems, the NASA contractor for mission emblems. Each is approximately 4 inches in diameter.
The Hubble Space Telescope, orbits 353 miles (569 km) above the surface of the Earth. The space shuttle Discovery launched the telescope into orbit in 1990.
| April 1990 - STS-31 - Launches HST |
| December 1993 - STS-61 - First Servicing |
| February 1997 - STS-82 - Second Servicing |
| December 1999 - STS-103 - Third Servicing |
| March 2002 - STS-109 - Third Servicing |
| October 2008 - STS-125 - Final Servicing |
It was the first telescope designed to be visited in space by astronauts to perform repairs, replace parts, and update its technology with new instruments. With each servicing mission, Hubble's power increases, making it one of the most enduring and successful space missions ever undertaken.
Prior to STS-125, there have been four previous servicing missions to Hubble: Servicing Missions 1, 2, 3A and 3B. The upcoming Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) scheduled for October 2008 will be the final trip to Hubble. The astronauts’ goals for SM4 are to install new instruments, replace degraded systems, and bring inactive instruments back to life.
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