Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Shuttle Atlantis - 2009 [Paperback]

Dennis R. Jenkins (Author), Jorge R. Frank (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1580071384 | ISBN-13: 978-1580071383 | Edition: First Edition ~1st Printing

Few NASA announcements stirred as much public controversy as when NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe canceled the fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. On January 16, 2004, the outcry from the scientific community and general public was surprising, coming less than a year after Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry. Launched by Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, Hubble has circled Earth more than 97,000 times and provided more than 4,000 astronomers access to the stars not possible from inside the Earth's atmosphere. Hubble has helped answer some of science's key questions and provided compelling images of our solar system that have awed and inspired the world.
Fortunately, things change. After further evaluation, the agency authorized the last servicing mission to Hubble. The STS-125 mission returned the space shuttle to the Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 12 days and five spacewalks, the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis made repairs and upgrades to the telescope, leaving it in better shape than ever and ready for another five years or more of research.
Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Space Shuttle Atlantis 2009 follows the final Shuttle servicing mission from the press conference announcement through crew training and vehicle launch preparation. Stunning on-orbit photography taken by the astronauts during five spacewalks is featured along with Altantis' triumphant return to the Kennedy Space Center.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Specialty Press is known for high quality books and this one certainly follows in that mold. The attention to detail and quality research along with the typical superlative images makes for a book that I can quite easily recommend to you. Highly recommended. - --Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, October 2009

As with every other Specialty Press title I've read, this book is a treasure trove of information. If you have any interest at all in the subject matter it is well worth picking up. Highly recommended. ---Starship Modeler, reviewed by John Lester, October 2009

It is a great reference source for not only the final servicing mission, but for the whole Hubble program up to this point and I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in space subjects. - --IPMS, reviewed by Ben Guenther, December 2009

As with every other Specialty Press title I've read, this book is a treasure trove of information. If you have any interest at all in the subject matter it is well worth picking up. Highly recommended. ---Starship Modeler, reviewed by John Lester, October 2009

It is a great reference source for not only the final servicing mission, but for the whole Hubble program up to this point and I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in space subjects. ---IPMS, reviewed by Ben Guenther, December 2009

About the Author

Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineer in Cape Canaveral, Florida, working on various aerospace projects including 20 years on the Space Shuttle and several on the stillborn X-33 program. He is the author of Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System The First 100 Missions in addition to more than 30 other works on aerospace history.

Jorge R. Frank is an aerospace engineer with 18 years' experience on the Space Shuttle program. He has worked in a variety of technical positions as an engineering analyst and instructor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580071384
• ISBN-13: 978-1580071383
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Science & Math > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Scientific Instruments

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Treatment, October 27, 2009

By 

Michael H. Cooper (Bronx, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Shuttle Atlantis - 2009 (Paperback)

This book makes a wonderful new edition to any spaceflight enthusiast library. The authors Jenkins and Frank, like their previous treatments have provided a nice compact book on the most recent and last servicing mission to the space telescope. The pictures in this work are outstanding. The opening sections of the book detailing the history and developement of the HST is informative and great reading. As I stated in a prior review, I wish the authors could chronicle the remaining space shuttle flights. They do a very good job of capturing the subject matter both in easy on the eyes text and did I mention outstanding pictures. I guess one could argue that this material is available on the net. But I for one still like books, and this format which not only covers the very last mission but also the other servicing missions to the telescope, is a handy guide to truly one of the greatest achievements in engineering and manned spaceflight.