KSC-2009-2164
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians help guide the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, or COS, as it is lifted from a stand. The COS will be moved to and placed on the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier that will be installed in space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. The COS is part of the payload for the Hubble servicing mission, STS-125, targeted to launch in mid-May. Installing the COS during the mission will effectively restore spectroscopy to Hubble’s scientific arsenal, and at the same time provide the telescope with unique capabilities. COS is designed to study the large-scale structure of the universe and how galaxies, stars and planets formed and evolved. It will help determine how elements needed for life such as carbon and iron first formed and how their abundances have increased over the lifetime of the universe. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Details
NASA ID
KSC-2009-2164
Date Created
March 18, 2009
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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