WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

In the Vertical Processing Facility at KSC, technicians begin to peel away the protective "cocoon" from the lower portion of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Removal from the upper portion has just been completed. The cocoon is a sanitary liner which further assures cleanliness. After the lower portion is cut away, there will be a final cleaning of the telescope and a contamination inspection. A fresh cocoon will then be lowered over HST. With HST, astronomers will be able to view 97 percent of the known universe, and will be able to get pictures unlimited and undistorted by the Earth's atmosphere. Compared with earth-based observatories, the HST will be able to view celestial objects that are 50 times fainter, provide images that are 10 times sharper, and see objects that are seven times farther away. .