Fast Facts for Kids
Hubble Space Telescope Facts for Kids

Hubble Space Telescope Facts for Kids

  • Telescope Name: Hubble Space Telescope
  • Telescope Type: Cassegrain Reflector
  • Telescope Mission: Astronomy (Visible Light)
  • Telescope Operator: STScI (Space Telescope Science Institute)
  • Entered Service Date: May 20th, 1990
  • Mission Duration: 30+ years (Still Operating)
  • Named in Honor Of: American astronomer Edwin Hubble

21 Hubble Space Telescope Facts For Kids

  1. The Hubble Space Telescope is a famous space telescope that has been operating since 1990.
  2. The Hubble Space Telescope is sometimes simply referred to as Hubble or HST.
  3. The Hubble Space Telescope can conduct visual light (reflector) astronomy, it was surpassed by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2022 as the best space telescope.
  4. The Hubble Space Telescope is a Cassegrain reflector telescope and captures light to view objects in our Universe.
  5. The Hubble Space Telescope has a 7 foot and 10 inch primary mirror to capture light.
  6. The Hubble Space Telescope is named in honor of American astronomer Edwin Hubble.
  7. The Hubble Space Telescope is 43.5 feet in length and weighs around 27,000 pounds.
  8. The Hubble Space Telescope is in low-Earth orbit at 332 miles.
  9. It took 13 years for the Hubble Space Telescope to go from approved funding to entering service.
  10. The contract to build the spacecraft for the Hubble Space Telescope was awarded to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (LMSC) in 1977.
  11. The contract to build the optics for the Hubble Space Telescope was awarded to PerkinElmer in 1977.
  12. The entire cost to develop and maintain the mission for the Hubble Space Telescope is $16 billion dollars (2021, USD).
  13. The Hubble Space Telescope is operated by Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).
  14. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space at 12:33:51 UTC on April 24, 1990.
  15. The Hubble Space Telescope became operational for mission use on May 20th, 1990.
  16. The Hubble Space Telescope has been in operation for more than 32 years as of May 2022.
  17. Soon after the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope it was discovered there was a flawed mirror and it prevent high quality images.
  18. The flawed mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope was caused by the primary mirror being polished to the wrong shape.
  19. The flawed mirror was fixed during the STS-61 Space Shuttle Endeavour mission.
  20. There have been five Space Shuttle missions to service or upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.
  21. The five Space Shuttle missions to service or upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope were (STS-61, STS-82, STS-103, STS-109 and STS-125.

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Hubble Space Telescope Pictures

Pictures are one of the best ways for people to learning about something. That is why we are providing you with the below images to help you with your research on the Hubble Space Telescope. Below you will find three pictures that represent the Hubble Space Telescopes. These pictures should help you better understand Hubble Space Telescopes and what it look likes.

Front Of The Hubble Space Telescope

A picture of the front of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Side Of The Hubble Space Telescope

A picture of the side of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Top Of The Hubble Space Telescope

A picture of the top of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble Space Telescope Resources

Hopefully the above Hubble Space Telescope facts, data, stats, and pictures were helpful with your research. If you need to continue researching the Hubble Space Telescope you can use one of the below websites. We selected the below websites for their credibility and accurate data on the Hubble Space Telescope.