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Every piece of equipment needs to be repaired once in a while. Just think of a car, or a television set, or a computer. Well, sometimes the Hubble Space Telescope also needs adjustments, or new parts to keep it working properly. Also, technology improves
all the time. So, scientists want to make sure that Hubble has the newest possible equipment on board.
Unfortunately, it's not really practical to bring a spacecraft like Hubble back to Earth to make repairs and replacements. That's why NASA designed Hubble so that astronauts can work on it while it is still in orbit around the Earth.
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To work on the telescope, a team of astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle must first meet with the Hubble in orbit.
HST has special fixtures built into it that let astronauts capture the telescope with the Shuttle's robot arm and lock it in the payload bay.
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Once it is secured, astronauts get on their suits and go out into space to work on the Hubble.
There are hand holds and other fixtures that help astronauts move around the telescope while they work in a weightless environment.
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There is also a whole set of tools specially designed to help astronauts loosen the screws and bolts that hold instruments in place.
Finally, there are doors all around the HST that give astronauts access to all of the electronics and scientific instruments. Its just like working on a car. When astronauts need to replace an instrument, all they have to do is "pop the hood" and get on
with it.
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