LiveChat Roundup: Jan. 26, 2012

By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL

The Hubble Space Telescope's 21 years in orbit was the theme of last night's LiveChat with Dr. Frank Summers of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Summers has visited our students before, sharing his experience as a visual developer and writer for the IMAX Hubble 3D film. Last night, he shared 21 memorable images from the 21 years of Hubble's work.

The image that started it all - The Pillars of Creation (the Eagle Nebulae)

Did you know when HST was launched that it had an undetected major defect? The test stand used to check out the main mirror was slightly out of alignment, so when we checked out the telescope in orbit we discovered it could not focus properly. This defect in the mirror was later resolved through corrective lenses for the instruments on board, and adjustment of lenses in new instruments to account for the error. The result is what you remember most about Hubble - fantastic images that are as beautiful as they are scientifically important. Dr. Summer's insight of the images helped us understand the important milestones they represent.

If you missed Dr. Summer's chat, check for it soon in the LiveChat Archive, and don't forget to take the quiz to earn 25 points. And plan on attending next week's chat with Rachel Zimmerman-Brachmann of Ames Research Center, who will talk about Astrobiology and the search for life in our Solar System. Sign up today on the Discussion Board!