![Looking up at the space shuttle Discovery as it climbs toward space.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/hubble-launch-discovery.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
STS-31 Discovery Begins Its Roll Maneuver after Liftoff
This low-angle view shows the launch of the STS-31 mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Official launch time was 8:33 a.m. EDT on April 24, 1990. Onboard Discovery are the Hubble Space Telescope and a crew of five veteran astronauts: Loren J. Shriver, Charles F. Bolden Jr., Bruce McCandless II, Kathryn D. Sullivan, and Steven S. Hawley. STS-31 was the tenth launch of the shuttle Discovery. To launch Hubble into an orbit that guaranteed longevity, Discovery soared to a record altitude.
Credits: NASA
Image CreditNASA
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