Hubble Telescope "Repaired"

Space shuttle astronauts have sent the restored Hubble telescope off on a new voyage of discovery, bidding it farewell on behalf of the planet. Hubble - considered better than new following five days of repairs and upgrades - will never be seen up close by humans again. The Atlantis shuttle mission was Nasa's last service call to the telescope. The shuttle and telescope had just crossed the Atlantic, and were soaring 350 miles above the coast of north-western Africa, when astronaut Megan McArthur used a robot arm to release the snares gripping Hubble. Then the shuttle slowly backed away. "Hubble has been released," reported commander Scott Altman. "It's safely back on its journey of exploration as we begin steps to conclude ours. Looking back on this mission, it's been an incredible journey for us as well." Mission Control radioed congratulations: "It's wonderful to see Hubble, the most famous scientific instrument of all time, newly upgraded and ready for action thanks to you." With Hubble flying on its own again, the seven astronauts looked ahead to Friday's planned landing. But first they had to inspect their ship one last time to make sure it had not suffered any serious damage from space junk. The telescope's unusually high orbit had placed the shuttle and its crew at increased risk and, because of the lack of a refuge, prompted Nasa to keep a rescue ship on stand-by until the end of the 11-day flight.
To improve their safety, the astronauts dropped Atlantis into an egg-shaped orbit that is, much of the time, lower than the telescope's junk-ridden orbit. TheTamshee says: Scotty Altman and his fellow astronauts deserve high praise. To risk their lifes on this tricky space mission, to squench the worlds thirst for cosmic pictures, is indeed honourable. "Safe Oot-Safe In"