Hubble image archive
Cast-off: Releasing a Solar Array (1993)
Astronaut Kathy Thornton jettisons a damaged solar array panel into space during Hubble's first servicing mission in 1993. When the solar panels were replaced, astronauts found a bend in the casing of this panel. The panel couldn't be returned safely to Earth, and was released in...
- Date
- Apr 24, 1990
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-3825-image
Astronaut Kathy Thornton jettisons a damaged solar array panel into space during Hubble's first servicing mission in 1993. When the solar panels were replaced, astronauts found a bend in the casing of this panel. The panel couldn't be returned safely to Earth, and was released into space. Eventually the panel will descend into Earth's atmosphere, where the friction created by the speed of its fall will burn it up, turning it into a shooting star.
Hubble's solar panels generate power for the telescope by converting sunlight into electricity. The arrays power the telescope and charge its batteries while Hubble is in sunlight. When Hubble moves into the dark portion of its orbit, the batteries provide power.
Credits
NASA
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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