Tue, Jan 05, 2010
NASA Astronaut Was Instrumental To Hubble Telescope Repair
NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, who participated in three
spaceflights to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is leaving the
agency to become the deputy director of the Space Telescope Science
Institute in Baltimore. The institute is the science operations
center for Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is
planned for launch in 2014.
John Grunsfeld NASA Photo
"During the past 18 years, John has been a true asset to the
agency," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut
who flew on the STS-31 mission that deployed the Hubble. "Some have
called him the chief Hubble repairman, but I call him a friend and
wish him the best in his new endeavor."
In addition to Grunsfeld's flights to Hubble (STS-103 in Dec.
1999, STS-109 in March 2002, and STS-125 in May 2009), he also
served on two other shuttle missions. He performed eight critical
spacewalks and logged more than 835 hours in space.
During 2003 and 2004, he was NASA's Chief Scientist at the
agency's headquarters in Washington. He helped develop the Vision
for Space Exploration, which set NASA on the path for future
exploration endeavors.
Hubble Space Telescope
In accepting the institute position, Grunsfeld said, "This is an
incredibly exciting opportunity for me to work at a focal point of
top astronomers at the leading edge of scientific inquiry. The team
at the Space Telescope Science Institute has a demonstrated record
of meeting the high performance challenges of operating the Hubble
Space Telescope and preparing for the James Webb Space Telescope. I
look forward to working with this excellent team as we continue to
explore the mysteries of the universe."
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