On April 25, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was sent into orbit. Since then, Hubble has provided amazing views of the universe. These sights include stars being born and razor-sharp images of the planets.
On its 15th anniversary, Hubble is in trouble. Regular servicing missions allowed astro-nauts to maintain and improve the telescope. After the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003, NASA officials canceled a manned servicing mission. They feared it would be too risky.
Without any service, Hubble could stop working as soon as 2007. But recently, NASA's director, Michael Griffin, indicated to the Senate that servicing missions could get a second shot. "In light of what we learn after we return to flight," says Griffin, "we should revisit the earlier decision."