Atlantis on the Pad for Hubble's Last Service Call

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Space shuttle Atlantis stands on its seaside launch pad for an October mission to the Hubble Space Telescope — the fifth and final servicing call, and one of the most technically demanding flights NASA has ever attempted.

Over five spacewalks, seven astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two dead ones, replace batteries and gyroscopes and attach a docking ring so a robotic craft can someday steer the telescope to a safe re-entry.

Because Atlantis will not be able to reach the space station if its heat shield is damaged, a second shuttle, Endeavour, will stand ready on the adjacent pad for an unprecedented rescue flight.

The mission almost never happened: NASA canceled it after the 2003 Columbia disaster over safety concerns, then reinstated it in 2006 after an outcry from scientists and Congress.

Hubble, in orbit since 1990, remains astronomy's most productive instrument — and, thanks to past servicing missions, is far more capable than when it launched. Its cameras have dated the universe, imaged planets around other stars and helped discover dark energy.

"Every servicing mission was supposed to be the last," a Hubble scientist said. "This one really is. We owe it a good send-off."

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Associated Press writers contributed to this report.

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