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This Week in NASA History: First Hubble Servicing Mission Returns – Dec. 13, 1993

This week in 1993, STS-61 landed aboard the space shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Center following a successful mission.
This week in 1993, STS-61 mission was completed as the space shuttle Endeavour landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following a successful 10-day mission.

This week in 1993, STS-61 mission was completed as the space shuttle Endeavour landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center following a successful 10-day mission. During a record five back-to-back extravehicular activities totaling more than 35 hours, two teams of astronauts completed the first servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. Here, Hubble is berthed in Endeavour’s cargo bay. Today, the James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s next-generation space observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. All 18 primary mirror segments and the mirror’s primary backplane support were tested at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s X-ray and Cryogenic Facility. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)