The report said that a large orbital telescope would make a 'dominant contribution to our knowledge of cosmology,' by helping scientists study stars, measure distances to galaxies, and investigate the physics behind our universe. In 1969, the committee published Scientific Uses of the Large Space Telescope, in which the National Academy of Science urged the construction of such an instrument. During the first meeting in 1966, this group performed comprehensive studies on possible uses for a large space-based telescope. While teaching at Princeton University, Spitzer was asked to head a National Academy of Science Ad Hoc Committee on the Large Space Telescope. A space telescope would also allow scientists to accurately measure these emissions as well. Furthermore, the atmosphere blocks X-rays emitted from high-temperature phenomena in stars and other objects, so they cannot be detected by instruments on the Earth's surface. Even the most precise and advanced telescopes on the ground cannot escape this phenomenon, but a telescope in orbit can. His paper, entitled Astronomical Advantages of an Extra-Terrestrial Observatory, explained that the Earth's atmosphere blurs and distorts light coming from stars. In 1946, Lyman Spitzer, a professor and researcher at Yale University, argued that a space telescope would offer great advantages over ground-based observatories. The first serious concepts of a space-based optical observatory began just after World War II. Thanks to incredible efforts of scientists and engineers, the telescope has also given astronomers insight into the history and fate of our universe.Īlthough the Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit since 1990, its origins date long before that. One of the most technologically advanced pieces of equipment that humans have put into orbit, Hubble has helped researchers make important discoveries about our universe, ranging from planets and stars to galaxies and cosmology. A Brief History of the Hubble Space Telescopeįor more than 15 years, the Hubble Space Telescope has been providing scientists and the public with spectacular images of deep space.

Hubble telescope images