First STS-125 Spacewalk Complete

Mission specialists John Grunsfeld and Drew Feustel completed STS-125’s first spacewalk Thursday at 4:12 p.m. EDT.

During the 7-hour, 20-minute excursion, the pair removed the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and replaced it with a new wide-field camera. The new camera will allow the telescope to take large-scale, clear and detailed photos over a wide range of colors.

The spacewalkers then replaced the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit. The computer sends commands to Hubble’s science instruments and formats science data for transmission to the ground.

Feustel and Grunsfeld also installed a soft capture mechanism, which will allow future vehicles to attach to the telescope.

Finally, the spacewalkers installed a combination of locks and latches that will allow for faster opening and closing of the telescope doors during the third spacewalk.