Goodrich Corporation has delivered an updated, refurbished Hubble Space Telescope fine guidance sensor to Goddard Space Flight Center for final testing prior to its launch on the Hubble final servicing mission, “SM4,” scheduled to occur in 2008. This fine guidance sensor will replace one of three existing on-orbit units, one of which has been in continuous operation for the past 17 years.
According to Chris Holmes, Vice President and General Manager of Goodrich’s Danbury, Conn. site, “We are proud and privileged to be playing a key role in this mission by providing our fine guidance sensor technology to Goddard Space Flight Center. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with NASA in support of advanced science and exploration.”
Hubble’s fine guidance sensors are critical components of the telescope’s precise pointing control system and are responsible for maintaining the stable pointing that produces the outstanding pictures and data provided by the Hubble. The fine guidance sensors are also used for astronomy. The technology aids in the discovery and measurement of the mass of planets in other solar systems and can improve theories of star formation and evolution by measuring the mass of binary star systems.
Goodrich’s Danbury site, which produces this fine guidance sensor technology, is part of the company’s ISR Systems division. The division engineers and manufactures advanced optical and electro-optical systems for U.S. and allied government airborne and space programs.
Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets. With one of the most strategically diversified portfolios of products in the industry, Goodrich serves a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities. For more information visit http://www.goodrich.com/.
Goodrich Corporation operates through its divisions and as a parent company for its subsidiaries, one or more of which may be referred to as “Goodrich Corporation” in this press release.
