No. 1 Story

ACCC clears Optus to scrap HFC network and use NBN instead

The ACCC has cleared, provisionally, the proposed deal between Optus and NBN Co under which Optus is to be paid around $800m to shut down its HFC network and transfer customers onto the NBN. read more

Herschel and Planck join Hubble in space

Science - Space



Over on the U.S. side of space exploration, the crew of the STS-125 repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope completed their first spacewalk on Thursday, May 14, 2009.

Two spacewalking astronauts replaced Hubble’s existing Wide Field Camera with a new $132 million Wide Field Camera 3. They had a few problems with the transfer when one of the bolts stuck on the old camera.

Luckily, a checklist of possible contingency plans found one that worked and the bolt finally was loosened and the new camera installed.

At a NASA press conference later in the day, Hubble senior scientist David Leckrone stated, “There were tense moments during that activity. I don't normally reveal my age, and I'm not going to here, but I can tell you I'm five years older now than I was when I came into work this morning."  [CBS News: “Hubble Repair Poses Daunting Challenge”]

The two spacewalkers also replaced a defective science data-handling unit that broke down on Hubble in the fall of 2008 (which delayed the mission from launching) and installed a docking ring so that a robotic spacecraft can eventually make a controlled de-orbit of Hubble when it finally has ended its useful life.

For more information on the Hubble repair mission, go to the iTWire article “Follow STS-125 crew as they service Hubble.”

All in all, May 14, 2009 was a very eventful day for space science and our continuing exploration of outer space, our final frontier.