BOULDER — Gov. Bill Ritter today congratulated the astronauts and crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and employees from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. for their recent mission to repair and extend the life of the Hubble telescope.
During a visit with the astronauts and employees at Ball's Boulder campus, Gov. Ritter also presented a proclamation declaring today "Space Shuttle Mission STS-125 Day."
"Congratulations to NASA and the astronauts for their successful mission to extend the life of Hubble, which serves as a window out to the universe," Gov. Ritter said. "Colorado is very proud of its contribution to those awe-inspiring images. Ball engineers, technicians and support staff have dedicated more than three decades of work to make the Hubble a reality. The company is one of the reasons why Colorado has such a strong and successful aerospace industry."
In May, the Atlantis crew conducted a five-day mission involving five spacewalks to repair the 20-year-old Hubble, giving it enhanced capability until 2014, when it will be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope.
More than 40 students from the Webber Aerospace Ventures in Education (WAVE) aerospace camp in Ft. Collins were at the event today. Youngsters prepare an aerospace "mission" during the camp, and today the students met with the astronauts and presented their mission to them.
"It's wonderful to see so many young people here today with an interest in aerospace," Gov. Ritter said. "Ball and NASA are inspiring a new generation of scientists who will invent their own future and lead us to new heights and new discoveries."
The text of the proclamation follows:
WHEREAS, on May 11, 2009, seven STS-125 crewmembers embarked on one of NASA's most daring shuttle missions—to repair and improve the Hubble Telescope; and
WHEREAS, Colorado is proud to have numerous connections to this mission, including building all of Hubble's science instruments since the completion of SM-4; and
WHEREAS, in total, Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Boulder, has developed seven scientific instruments for Hubble and also designed and built mission-critical tools that enabled the astronauts to conduct their repairs; and
WHEREAS, millions of people have been inspired by the Hubble Telescope's breathtaking imagery and scientific discoveries; and
WHEREAS, because of the improvements made on this mission the Hubble Telescope will continue to inspire people around the world until 2014 and beyond;
Therefore, I, Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim July 29, 2009, SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-125 DAY in the State of Colorado.
