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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is released into orbit by Discovery's robot arm on April 25, 1990, to begin a 15-year mission of discovery. Despite early focusing difficulties, the observatory remains a valuable international research tool. Astronomers anticipate that it will meet or exceed all expectations during its lifetime, providing information and images not attainable from even the best observatories on Earth.
The Hubble telescope is the largest astronomical observatory ever placed in orbit. During its mission, it is expected to see deeper into space and with more clarity than ever before possible. The telescope is named in honor of the American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble whose work led to the discovery that the universe extends beyond the Milky Way and is expanding.
This 70mm NASA/Smithsonian Institution/ Lockheed Corporation photograph was taken by an Imax Cargo Bay Camera mounted in Discovery's payload bay just seconds after the telescope was released from the Shuttle's remote manipulator arm.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a cooperative project with the European Space Agency. It is managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., for the Office of Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.