Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope (1990)

Hello there. My name is Kathryn Sullivan, and I am an astronaut. Being an astronaut is one of the most exciting jobs in the world. I got to fly on a giant rocket ship called the Space Shuttle. On one very special trip, my team and I had a job to do that was bigger than any of us. We were taking a very important package into space. It wasn't a small box. It was a giant telescope, as big as a school bus, named the Hubble Space Telescope. Our mission was to carry Hubble up past the clouds and the sky, into the quiet darkness of space. Down on Earth, our air makes the stars twinkle and can sometimes make it hard to see things far, far away. But in space, there is no air to get in the way. We were giving the world a new eye in the sky, one that could see farther and more clearly than ever before. We trained for years to make sure we could deliver our special package safely.

Finally, the big day arrived. It was April 24th, 1990. My crew and I were strapped into our seats inside the Space Shuttle Discovery. I could hear the countdown through my helmet. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Liftoff.". Suddenly, there was a giant ROAR. The whole shuttle shook and rumbled like a grumpy giant waking up. We were pushed back into our seats as the powerful rocket engines lifted us higher and higher, right into the sky. It was noisy and shaky, but it was also thrilling. After a few minutes, the rumbling stopped. The noise was gone. We were floating. Outside my window, I could see our beautiful blue and white Earth below. The next day, on April 25th, it was time for the most important part of our job. Very slowly and carefully, we used the shuttle's long robotic arm to lift the Hubble telescope out of its bay. We moved it gently, like we were holding a sleeping baby. Then, we let it go. It floated away from us, a shiny new star in the darkness, ready to start its job. It was like letting a beautiful, giant bird go free to fly across the universe.

Ever since we let it go, the Hubble Space Telescope has been our eye on the universe. It floats high above the Earth, taking the most amazing pictures you have ever seen. Hubble has shown us swirling galaxies that look like pinwheels of rainbow colors. It has taken pictures of sparkling clouds of gas where new stars are being born. It has even helped us discover new planets in solar systems that are very far away. The pictures it sends back to Earth are not just pretty. they help scientists answer really big questions, like how old the universe is and what it's made of. My part in this mission was to help get Hubble safely to its new home in space. I am so proud that I got to help give humanity this amazing window to the stars. It reminds all of us to stay curious, to ask big questions, and to never stop looking up at the amazing, wonderful night sky.