Herschel, Planck telescopes launch as Hubble repairs start
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.023335
Various : Europe’s Herschel and Planck telescopes have blasted into space on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana, reports the BBC . The far-infrared and submillimeter Herschel observatory is the largest telescope put into space. The Planck telescope will survey the cosmic microwave background.
Meanwhile the space shuttle Atlantis has captured the Hubble Space Telescope and started the first spacewalks to install the new Wide Field Camera 3 into the 19-year-old observatory. “It looks beautiful and in good shape,” said astronaut John Grunsfeld to NASA ground control in Houston, Texas. However, a stubborn bolt attached to a grounding strap is causing the astronauts some difficulty, reports space.com .
