Orbit - 380 mi (612 km), inclined 28.5 degrees relative to equator
Orbital period - 97 minutes
Orbital speed - 17,500 mi/h (28,000 km/h)
Cost - $2.2 billion at launch
Lifespan ~ 20 yrs
Like any telescope, the HST has a long tube that is open at one end. It has mirrors to gather and bring the light to a focus where its "eyes" are located. The HST has several types of "eyes" in the form of various instruments. Just like some animals can see various types of light, such as ultraviolet light (e.g. insects) or visible light (e.g. humans), the HST must also be able to see the various types of light raining down from the heavens. These various scientific instruments make HST the amazing astronomy tool that it is. However, the HST is not only a telescope with scientific instruments -- it is also a spacecraft. As such, it must have power and be able to move in orbit. To satisfy both its telescope and spacecraft functions, HST has the following systems:
Optics
primary mirror
secondary mirror
corrective optics
Scientific Instruments
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2)
Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS)
Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)
Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)
Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS)
Spacecraft Systems
Power
Communications
Steering
Computing
Structure
Diagram of the Hubble Space Telescope Mouse over the "Telescope Functions" to examine each function. Note: The Faint Object Camera was replaced by the Advanced Camera for Surveys in March 2002.
In the next section, we'll look at some of the cameras the Hubble uses to see the furthest reaches of space.
