Three years after the Hubble was placed in orbit around Earth, a team of astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavor installed two tiny mirrors that would correct the focusing problems that the Hubble was experiencing. The telescope has since had several servicing calls, the most recent in 2009. Upgraded detectors and spectrometers have been installed, faulty positioning gyroscopes replaced, and its batteries replaced. The batteries are used when Earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight on the solar panels.

Since its repairs, the Hubble Space Telescope has aided research into the age of the universe and the rate at which it is expanding, and has enabled observation of other stars and galaxies that previously were never seen by earthbound telescopes. More than 8,000 scientific papers have been published using Hubble data. Equally important, the beautiful photos taken by Hubble have fascinated the public and broadened its understanding of the incredible range of objects in our universe.