Astronauts prepare for 1st spacewalk to fix Hubble

[May 14, 2009]  CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) -- The hard work of repairing the Hubble Space Telescope begins soon.

Astronauts John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel (FOY-stahl) exit the space Shuttle Atlantis Thursday morning for the first of five spacewalks to upgrade Hubble.

They will replace the telescope's 15-year-old workhorse camera with one that sees deeper into the universe. The new camera is the size of a baby grand piano.

The old camera will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.

This spacewalk should take about 6 1/2 hours and includes replacing a computer data device that broke down last fall.

Atlantis grabbed Hubble on Wednesday, and shuttle commander Scott Altman said the two spacewalkers were "salivating" over the sight of the school bus-sized telescope.

[Associated Press]

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