WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The NASA News Auditorium is filled with media during the post-launch press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Featured on the dais were Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate Ed Weiler, Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses and Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. The conference followed the successful launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-125 mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis' 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments that will expand Hubble's capabilities and extend its operational lifespan through at least 2014. The payload includes a Wide Field Camera 3, Fine Guidance Sensor and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.