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| COSTAR | |
|---|---|
| Name | COSTAR |
| Caption | Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement |
| Mission | Hubble Space Telescope servicing |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA) |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace, Perkin-Elmer Corporation |
| Launch | STS-61 (installed 1993) |
| Mission end | removed 1999 (replaced) |
| Country | United States |
COSTAR COSTAR was a corrective optics instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during the STS-61 Servicing Mission 1 in 1993 to correct spherical aberration in the telescope's primary mirror. It served as an optical compensator for several scientific instruments, enabling high-resolution observations that led to advances across astronomy and astrophysics. COSTAR was later removed during STS-103 to make room for new instruments as corrective optics were integrated into upgraded instruments.
COSTAR (Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement) was conceived as an interim corrective assembly to restore expected image quality for instruments such as the Faint Object Camera, Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph, and Faint Object Spectrograph. Following the discovery of the Hubble mirror flaw after STS-31 deployment, COSTAR provided small deformable mirrors to counteract the primary mirror's spherical aberration, enabling productive operations for the Hubble Space Telescope while a permanent fix was designed for downstream instruments. The system exemplified rapid aerospace response involving NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute, and contractors like Perkin-Elmer Corporation.
COSTAR's design emerged from rapid collaboration among teams at Ball Aerospace, Perkin-Elmer Corporation, Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The corrective approach used deployable, precisely figured mirrors mounted in a structure compatible with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera return slot architecture developed by Edwin Hubble-era legacy hardware teams. Engineering work referenced optical principles refined by researchers at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and University of Arizona. The design incorporated mechanisms and materials tested against space environment constraints derived from earlier programs like Skylab, International Ultraviolet Explorer, and Chandra X-ray Observatory planning. COSTAR's mirrors were fabricated to tight tolerances informed by metrology standards used at National Institute of Standards and Technology facilities.
COSTAR was installed during STS-61 in December 1993 alongside the first servicing activities that also installed Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Astronauts trained at Johnson Space Center executed the complex extravehicular activities based on procedures iterated with teams from European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. After installation, COSTAR immediately improved performance of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph, Faint Object Spectrograph, and Faint Object Camera, enabling follow-on observations by investigators from institutions including Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Society, and University of California, Berkeley. As newer instruments such as the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and later Advanced Camera for Surveys incorporated internal corrective optics, COSTAR was removed during STS-103 in 1999 and preserved as a museum artifact reflecting servicing mission heritage.
With COSTAR restoring diffraction-limited performance, the Hubble Space Telescope produced decisive observations that advanced studies of extrasolar planets hosts, quasars, active galactic nuclei, dark matter in galaxy clusters, and star formation in nearby galaxies. Key programs included high-resolution spectroscopy and imaging led by teams at Space Telescope Science Institute, European Southern Observatory, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and Arecibo Observatory collaborators. COSTAR-enabled data contributed to refining the Hubble constant via observations of Cepheid variable stars in galaxies studied by Saha, Freedman, Sandage, and teams using the Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Spectroscopic results informed models of interstellar medium chemistry that engaged researchers at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Carnegie Institution for Science. COSTAR-backed studies influenced theoretical work by scientists at Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
COSTAR contained precision optical assemblies with multiple small corrective mirrors mounted on actuated mechanisms engineered to operate within Hubble Space Telescope instrument bay constraints. The assembly interfaced with telescope pointing systems developed at Goddard Space Flight Center and thermal control systems patterned after designs used by Landsat and Global Positioning System spacecraft. Optical figures were measured with interferometry techniques borrowed from Palomar Observatory and Kitt Peak National Observatory practices. Mechanical and electrical subsystems followed standards established by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory missions, with redundancy informed by Apollo and Space Shuttle avionics experience.
COSTAR's rapid deployment and success reshaped expectations for in-orbit servicing, influencing policies at NASA and partner agencies about modularity and upgradeability in observatory design such as later concepts for James Webb Space Telescope-adjacent missions and proposed Large UV Optical Infrared Surveyor. It reinforced the value of human-tended servicing exemplified by Space Shuttle operations and informed architecture choices in programs at European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and private aerospace firms. COSTAR also played a cultural role in public science outreach through institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and National Air and Space Museum, symbolizing collaborative problem-solving across academia, government, and industry.
Category:Space telescopes Category:NASA hardware Category:Optical instruments