On December 30, 1924, astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953) announced his discovery of the spiral nebula Andromeda, proving for the first time that our own Milky Way was but one of many galaxies in the vast universe. The Hubble Space Telescope, seen here after release from Columbia’s payload bay on March 9, 2002, was named for the astronomer.
On December 30, 1924, astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953) announced his discovery of the spiral nebula Andromeda, proving for the first time that our own Milky Way was but one of many galaxies in the vast universe. The Hubble Space Telescope, the development of which was led by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. was named for the distinguished astronomer. The above photograph shows the repaired and reconfigured Hubble as seen by the STS-109 crew soon after its release from Columbia’s payload bay on March 9, 2002.
Image Credit: NASA