Lewis Research Center experts helped solve Hubble Space Telescope repair in the 1990s

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been in operation for nearly three decades, In that time, Hubble has produced spectacular views of the solar system. By producing the breathtaking images we see today, Hubble has generated key information on the origins of the universe. 

NASA reveals that in a critical time in Hubble's history, materials experts from NASA Lewis Research Center, now known as the Glenn Research Center, played an essential role in securing Hubble’s future operations.

In April 1990, NASA scientists found a curve of the lens that made all the images return blurry. Additionally, temperature changes caused by the passing in and out of the sunlight during orbit produced a problem that hindered the proper operation of the telescope's pointing system.

Lewis Research Center located the problems and sent astronauts into orbit to fix the issues.

"In the end, the team concluded that the uncoated insulation provided the most resilient thermal shield," a NASA press release states. "The new thermal shields successfully reduced the thermal-induced jitter from occurring on the Hubble replacement solar arrays and combined with new flight software, fully eliminated the impact."

Without these key corrections, scientists wouldn't have received the breathtaking views and images vital to understanding how our solar system works.