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NASA mission to upgrade Hubble to launch on May 11

Washington, May 1 (ANI): NASA has selected the launch date for the STS-125 mission of space shuttle Atlantis as May 11, which will upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

The date was announced after NASA managers did a complete review of its readiness for flight.

Commander Scott Altman and his six crewmates are scheduled to lift off at 2:01 p.m. EDT, May 11, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.

During the review, top NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle's equipment, support systems and procedures are ready for flight.

Atlantis' 11-day mission will include five spacewalks to refurbish Hubble with state-of-the-art science instruments.

After the astronauts' visit, the telescope's capabilities will be expanded and its lifetime extended through at least 2014.

Commander Altman will be joined on the mission by Pilot Gregory C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino.

The spacewalkers are Feustel, Good, Grunsfeld and Massimino. McArthur is the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations. (ANI)

US moon base plans boondoggle

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 14: Will the construction of a moon base mark a great leap in planning for a manned mission to Mars or prove a wasteful diversion of funds? Officials working with NASA gave conflicting views during a meeting of space scientists yesterday, a week after the US space agency announced that it plans to build a permanently occupied lunar base, with flights slated to begin in 2020.Man's first visit to the moon since the 1972 Apollo mission would.....
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