STS-31

space shuttle mission

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July 23, 2026

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STS-31 was a mission of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery that launched on April 24, 1990. The primary objective of this mission was to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope into Earth's orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, is a sophisticated optical observatory designed to capture images of celestial objects with unprecedented clarity and detail, free from the distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere.12

The space shuttle program, formally known as the Space Transportation System (STS), was developed by NASA and consisted of a winged orbiter, an external tank for fuel, and two solid rocket boosters. The shuttle could transport satellites, service orbiting spacecraft, and serve as a platform for scientific experiments. The STS-31 mission was crucial for advancing astronomical research by providing a powerful new tool for observing the universe.21

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Bruce McCandless
…as a mission specialist on STS-31, launching on the Discovery space shuttle on April 24, 1990. The STS-31 crew successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. The shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 29, 1990.
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…as a mission specialist on STS-31, launching on the Discovery space shuttle on April 24, 1990. The STS-31 crew successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. The shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 29, 1990.
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Kathryn Sullivan
On STS-31 (April 24–29, 1990), the space shuttle Discovery deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. On STS-45 (March 24–April 2, 1992), Sullivan was the payload commander of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science, a laboratory on a pallet housed in the space shuttle Atlantis’s cargo bay…
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On STS-31 (April 24–29, 1990), the space shuttle Discovery deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. On STS-45 (March 24–April 2, 1992), Sullivan was the payload commander of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science, a laboratory on a pallet housed in the space shuttle Atlantis’s cargo bay…
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