CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – What better way to celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope’s quarter-century in orbit than with cosmic fireworks?
On Thursday – one day before the 25th anniversary of Hubble’s launch – NASA released an image taken by the space telescope showing a brilliant breeding ground for stars. This stellar nursery is 20,000 light-years from Earth in the Constellation Carina. NASA’s science mission chief John Grunsfeld says the fact that it’s taken thousands of years for the light from these bright, young stars to reach us means “they planned really far in advance.”
Grunsfeld was among five former shuttle astronauts who flew on Hubble missions, who attended a Washington ceremony. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also was there; he helped deliver Hubble to orbit on April 24, 1990.