Shuttle STS-61 Onboard View of the Hubble Space Telescope

Backdropped against planet Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope is shown sporting new and modified solar arrays stowed against its side. A spacewalking astronaut is visible in the foreground of the picture. The 59th shuttle flight and the last of 1993, STS-61 was one of the most challenging and complex manned missions ever attempted. During a record five back-to-back spacewalks totaling 35 hours and 28 minutes, two teams of astronauts completed the first servicing of Hubble since it was launched in April 1990. The STS-61 mission was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor on December 2, 1993.