IT & Network Infrastructure : NASA Atlantis Shuttle Takes Final Ride to Hubble Telescope

The 19-year-old Hubble Space Telescope is in desperate need of repair, with outdated and failing batteries, busted gyroscopes, and spotty electrical and communications systems. The Atlantis shuttle launched May 11 on its last flight with the mission of giving the Hubble a much-needed systems overhaul and installing a new, more powerful wide-field camera and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The seven-man crew is expected to arrive at the Hubble May 13 and, if all goes well, Hubble's life will be extended to at least 2014. Here's an eWEEK day-to-day look at the first mission to Hubble since 2002.