Hubble Space Telescope Camera to Be Upgraded
The Hubble Space Telescope, which has produced images from the distant reaches of the universe since its early “vision” problems were corrected in 1993, is getting an even stronger pair of glasses.
Later this month, the space shuttle Columbia will carry astronauts to upgrade the orbiting telescope, NASA said. One main piece of equipment will be the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which scientists say will have 10 times the power of the camera it will replace.
“If you had two fireflies six feet apart in Tokyo, Hubble’s vision with ACS will be so fine that it will be able to tell from Washington, D.C., that they were two different fireflies instead of one,” said Holland Ford, who led the team that built the camera.
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Compiled by Times staff writer Thomas H. Maugh II
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