Hubble Re-fit Goes as Planned, almost

Astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel installed a new camera and data router on the Hubble Space Telescope during the first spacewalk of the last Hubble servicing mission. The 7 hour, 20 minute spacewalk took almost an hour longer than scheduled (Image: NASA)

Hubble was outfitted with a brand-new camera during a marathon spacewalk on Thursday – one of the top priorities of the space shuttle mission to service the telescope. But the crucial installation did not go off without a hitch – spacewalking astronauts had to struggle to remove a stuck bolt on the telescope's old camera.

The space shuttle Atlantis launched on Monday on an 11-day shuttle mission to refurbish the telescope and extend its life until at least 2014. The mission, the last to service the iconic telescope, is set to leave the probe with its best vision yet.