NASA Logo, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Goddard Space Flight Center

Astrophysics Science Division | Sciences and Exploration

This website is kept for archival purposes only and is no longer updated.

Inside of Hubble
Astronaut John Grunsfeld adjusts the conduit lines of the cryo-cooler upon installing it.

Outside of Hubble
A great photo of the NCS Radiator being attached to Hubble's aft shell. Earth provides a bright swirling backdrop.
   Summary
During Servicing Mission 3B the astronauts performed several tasks such as replacing the Solar Arrays and installing the new Advanced Camera for Surveys. Installing the NCS was the trickiest business. The operation took over 5 hours but was a complete success.

By April 19th, NICMOS Cooling System (NCS) achieved the desired operational temperature of -315 � F (-193 � C or 80 K), and had been stable for several days. The NICMOS instrument was put into operational mode in preparation for more functional tests.

PREVIOUS | NEXT      
More . . .
Video of the NCC installation as viewed from one of the crew's helmet cams.
Video of the NCS radiator installation. The spacewalker is suspended by a robotic arm.
Watch the number of cycles the main turbine of the cryo-cooler has accumulated in real time. The turbine spins up to 400,000 rpm!
Dr. Anne Marie Russell talks about anticipation when activating NCS after being connected to NICMOS.