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STS61_v_c_o_n (SM-1, press reprint of Ball Aerospace photo no. 90-2116C)

“In this rendering by Ball Aerospace and Communications Group artist Scott Kahler, astronauts are positioning the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) into place during the first Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission scheduled for late 1993. The COSTAR instrument is designed to significantly restore the HST to its original imaging capabilities. This space-age call will take place 360 miles above Earth. Ball Aerospace, located in Boulder, Colo., built COSTAR for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.”

 

Above is the official Ball Aerospace photo caption. Below is the per the 24 November 1993 press slug affixed to the verso, likely from “THE DAILY TELEGRAPH”, newspaper, United Kingdom.

 

“Astronomers have been gravely disappointed in the Hubble space telescope. They could not focus the instrument – which meant unsatisfactory pictures. The problem was traced mainly to spherical aberration and temperature changes that made the whole spacecraft shake. Nevertheless, the telescope has made some important discoveries. The above impression shows astronauts positioning the Costar instrument that should restore Hubble’s full capabilities next week.”

 

~8.25” x 12”. Likely a 1993 reprint in anticipation of Servicing Mission 1. In fact, the outline of the original photograph is discernible. Despite the lack of watermark on the verso, the image is on a thick, high-gloss photo paper.

 

If the photo numbering nomenclature of the affixed Ball Aerospace caption is similar to that of NASA photos, in that the year is readily identifiable, the caption is from 1990, as I assume the original photo to be, the year the corrective action/acronym was conceived/coined.

Upon first glance, maybe second…heck, even third, it looks like a photograph. That is incredible!

 

A credit to Mr. Kahler...some serious talent going on there...attention to detail, and indeed, ‘world class’: 😉

 

world-classart.blogspot.com/

Credit: “ART & ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT KAHLER” website

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Uploaded on June 4, 2021