TOP 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HUBBLE

by Irene Klotz
 

Blurred Vision

hubble space telescope image solar system nasa
NASA sent the space shuttle Endeavour on a planned 11-day mission to correct Hubble's flawed mirror. Credit: NASA
 

7. Hotel Shower 'Eureka!' Moment

When NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990, they soon discovered it beamed back only blurry images. Why? It's massive 48-square-foot mirror was flawed.

Perhaps surprisingly, an engineer got the idea for the optical instrument to correct Hubble's flawed vision while taking a shower at a European hotel.

He was swiveling the shower head when he realized he could design a device that would tip and tilt mirrors to sharpen the light beams bouncing off the telescope's mirror before they reached the camera and other equipment.

 
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Get More of the Wide Angle

hubble space telescope nasa image pic picture photo photograph
Want more? Click here for the rest of the Wide Angle: Hubble Telescope's Final Fix. Credit: NASA
 

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