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Now in the day time, view of the radiator mounted on HST.
Note
the starboard wing of the Orbiter in the
left of the image. The ARUBA is the small white box on the
radiator
with the black spots. I was able to
follow the complete installation LIVE.
Wider shot of the ARUBA and radiator on HST. Note again the
starboard
wing in plain sight,
and the open Cargo Bay door. You can also see the hands and
arms
of the astronaut on the bottom.
These images are from the helmet camera of the astronaut. The
ARUBA will stay on the outside of HST.
Wider shot of the radiator and ARUBA on the Telescope. The
ARUBA
is the small white box
with the two black dots on the upper part of the radiator, close to
the astronaut's knees.
The finished installation of the radiator onto the HST. Earth
is the dramatic backdrop for this picture. Shot by one of
the astronauts with the Electronic Still Camera. Compare this
image with this one.
The NCS and the ARUBA passed their Alivenes and Functional
Tests.
We look forward to many years of service from this system.
Since
the radiator is hung on the handrails only, it does not represent a
very
strong attachment mechanism. As a result, if HST is ever
brought
home, the radiator and ARUBA will have to be jettisoned into
space.
After several years, they would then burn up in the
atmosphere.
This
means that I'll never see the ARUBA (box) again, and that it will
remain
in space forever.
2009 update. During SM4, the final mission to service Hubble, we flew a stereo IMAX camera, which capture lots of high resolution imagery of the ARUBA on Hubble. We had been in space for many years by then, but the unit was still operating as when it was installed by John Grunsfeld.
View of Hubble from the IMAX camera just prior to grapple. The location of the ARUBA is shown here. I knew during development that
the ARUBA would be facing forward towards the crew cabin during berth, and that we would get a great view on subsequent visits.
View during the servicing of the gyros deep inside HST.
----
November 2013 update. The astronaut trainer (seen here) that was used at the Johnson Space Center was transferred to the
Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum. It is nice to know that it will be saved for display and to educate the public about Hubble.
The ARUBA box is circled in red below.