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'Infinite Worlds' by Michael Soluri
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
The Hubble Space Telescope has transformed our view of the universe for over two decades. But the instrument was not alone. Five servicing missions repaired
…Read More » upgraded the telescope over the years, including the final one in May 2009. Photographer Michael Soluri chronicled that final Hubble mission in his book
. For three years, Soluri had unprecedented access to the astronaut crew, labor force and even the tools that would be used in outer space.
Watch our interview with Michael Soluri and see a sneak peek in this gallery.
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Water's Weightlessness
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Deep water diving is essential to training for the weightlessness of outer space. The crew practiced their five scheduled space walks in NASA’s Neutral
…Read More » Buoyancy Laboratory over the course of 18 months.
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A Spacesuit Struggle
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Astronaut Michael Massimino struggles into his space suit with the help of two others.
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Defying Odds
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Christy Hansen trains the astronaut crew to perform the necessary tasks for the upcoming servicing mission. She has jumped nearly every hurtle — including
…Read More » being discouraged from taking an AP Physics class when she was told that women were distractions to guys in the classroom — in order to reach where she is. Needless to say, she took that class anyways.
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Preparing for the Vacuum of Space
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Anything that will be handled in space has to be assembled in a dust- and dirt-free environment similar to a surgical operating room.
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The Telescope's Twin
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
All instrument bays in the clean room are electrically identical to those found on the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.
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A Sluggish Crawl
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
The shuttle crawler carries Atlantis on the last step in its Earth-bound journey.
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The Calm Before the Storm
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
The space shuttle Atlantis waits.
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Ritual
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Commander Scott "Scooter" Altman gazes toward Atlantis.
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A Shuttle Waits
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
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One Final Preparation
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Astronaut John Grunsfeld.
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T – 5 hours
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Astronaut Kathryn Megan McArthur prepares for her first mission.
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Family Portrait
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
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Atlantis Is Go for Launch
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Atlantis is go for launch.
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Floating
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
360 miles above the Earth, the crew of Atlantis is ready to navigate toward the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Embarking on a Space Walk
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel exit through the cabin airlock into space.
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A Modern Tool in a Foreign Landscape
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Hubble’s final servicing mission required 180 specialized tools, which range from tether hooks to major power tools. The Indexing Card Extraction Tool
…Read More » (ICET) was used by John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel during EVA day three to extract damaged circuit boards inside Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.
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Tools Laid Bare
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Soluri was able to photograph these tools within the clean room. He laid each one on a white background so that the tool would look as though it was in
…Read More » free fall. The Mini Power Drill Tool (above) was used by spacewalkers on EVA days three and four.
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360 Miles Above the Earth
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
The first spacewalk took place five days into the mission.
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Those Below Wait Patiently
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
The first spacewalk was a success but not without some trouble. The bolt that held the old camera inside Hubble was stuck, and astronauts John Grunsfeld
…Read More » and Drew Feustel struggled to remove it.
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A Self-Portrait in Space
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
John Grunsfeld's self-portrait.
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Slipping Beyond Our Grasp
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
As Atlantis slipped away from the Hubble Space Telescope, the crew was the last set of human beings to see the instrument up close. Decades from now NASA
…Read More » will send an unmanned spacecraft to either push the telescope away into space, or guide it into the depths of one of the Earth’s oceans — never to be seen again.
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Deep Below the Launch Pad …
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
Beneath the launch pad are two concrete walls that have been scorched by tens of different launches.
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... Rest Concrete Slabs Changed Forever
Credit: © Michael Soluri/Infinite Worlds
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